Dog owner Nina Isturis-Gramly is opening up about a heartbreaking incident that left her beloved German Shepherd dead. The Utah dog owner said someone shot and killed Ruby moments after the animal ran away.
According to Isturis-Gramly, she was walking Ruby in Roy's West Park. That's when the German Shepherd broke free from her control and ran free. The dog ran towards a man, who was walking with his service dog. When police say the German Shepherd got aggressive, the man pulled a firearm and killed the pooch.
Isturis-Gramly questions the legality of the act. But police said that the man was well within his rights and that Isturis-Gramly was at fault for not having her dog in control.
"It doesn't feel real right now," she told KSL. "It didn't seem like an appropriate response at a park in a walking area where everyone is trafficking and usually with dogs. She's a sweet dog. She didn't deserve this."
German Shepherd Dies
Meanwhile, her mom agreed that Ruby wasn't acting aggressively when the man opened fire.
"Ruby just got away," she said. "She's a friendly dog. She got away, ran towards the other dog. She was just being friendly, wagging her tail, excited. From that moment on, pop."
The dog owner also said the man didn't warn her about the German Shepherd.
"He didn't warn us as owners," Isturis-Gramly said. "He said, 'Leave it.' He didn't even give a pause long enough for her to respond to that. And she was just standing there."
However, police said that the man was within his right to defend himself from the German Shepherd.
"In Roy city, it is a crime to have your dog off leash or not secured, running at large, especially if they're aggressive and attacking other people or other animals," Roy Police Sgt. Josh Taylor said. "People are allowed to defend themselves, and defend their animals as well. If there is an aggressive dog then you are well within your right to do so."
Dog owners face up to $100 fines for not controlling their animals
"I have dogs as well. You want to go out, exercise your dogs, take them off the leash, but you have to understand that sometimes dogs, with other dogs, are unpredictable," Taylor added. "And the important thing is just make sure you're keeping your dogs on leash. That way you can secure them if anything does happen."
