Elkford man expresses remorse after killing a family’s 2 dogs

VANCOUVER — A week after shooting two dogs who had allegedly killed multiple chickens on his property, an Elkford man says he wishes “things could be different.”

James Bonnell said when he arrived home at around 8:30 p.m. MT on May 1, he went to check on his chickens, but found an upsetting sight instead.

“Came in here, had the dog sitting right here killing the chicken,” said Bonnell.

Bonnell said two dogs, neither of which had tags, somehow managed to get into his side yard, breaking into the coops where the chickens are housed by tearing through wire and pawing open the door.

“They wrecked the pen. Ripped all the wire off, chewed it really bad.”

In total, he said nine of his chickens were killed. Two more are still missing.

Bonnell said he was upset about the dogs killing his birds and felt he needed to protect himself and his livestock. In a prepared statement, he explained what happened next:

“I went into the house and got my low velocity .22. As the dog was chewing on the chicken, I shot it and it went down. I looked up and seen another dog coming around my camping trailer and it was growling at me. I shot it and it went down. I went inside to put the gun away. When I come back outside, to check on the dogs, they were gone from the yard. I went and got my gun again and went looking for the wounded dogs because I didn’t want them to suffer and I found them nearby. I put them into the truck and drove them a few kilometers out of town where I put them out of their misery as humanely as possible. My neighbour drove up where I put them and said he was going to report me. He did not say he knew who’s the dogs were belonged. I drove home and did a check of my yard. I found seven dead chickens in one coop, two dead ones in the yard and two missing. There were feathers everywhere. The dogs had torn into four of my pens, ripping heavy chicken wire, leaving teeth and claw marks.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I went into the house and got my low velocity .22. As the dog was chewing on the chicken, I shot it and it went down. I looked up and seen another dog coming around my camping trailer and it was growling at me. I shot it and it went down. I went inside to put the gun away. When I come back outside, to check on the dogs, they were gone from the yard. I went and got my gun again and went looking for the wounded dogs because I didn't want them to suffer and I found them nearby. I put them into the truck and drove them a few kilometers out of town where I put them out of their misery as humanely as possible. My neighbour drove up where I put them and said he was going to report me. He did not say he knew who's the dogs were belonged. I drove home and did a check of my yard. I found seven dead chickens in one coop, two dead ones in the yard and two missing. There were feathers everywhere. The dogs had torn into four of my pens, ripping heavy chicken wire, leaving teeth and claw marks."

Bonnell said he’s never done anything before to harm anyone’s pets, adding that since the incident, he’s been having trouble sleeping. He said had he known who the dogs belonged to, he wouldn’t have shot them.

“I really feel bad about what happened. I wish things had been different.”

Owner upset

The owner of the two dogs, Jen Bryant, is also wishing things could have ended differently too.

Bryant said her dogs, Raven and Star, got out of her fenced yard when her seven year-old son accidentally left it open.

“He came through the back gate and it happened to be windy out and he thought he had gotten it all the way shut and then next thing you know a big gust of wind came over and blew it open,” explained Bryant.

“Soon as I noticed the dogs were out, I got in my car, got around, started to look for them and we just weren’t able to find them.”

Bryant says she was alerted to what happened by another neighbour. She said the dogs weren’t innocent–they shouldn’t have been in Bonnell’s yard. However, she feels strongly that killing them was not the answer.

“Unfortunately, with him being in town, I don’t think he had the right to take matters into his own hands,” she said.

“Not only that, if he had shot them while they were killing the chickens, we probably would have a been a little bit more understanding, but to pick them up after they’ve left on their way home and put them in his truck and then take them out of town–that’s not ok.”

A puppy named Halo has been donated to the family, and though Bryant says nothing can replace her dogs, the new pet is helping with the healing process.

The investigation into what happened is now in the hands of the SPCA.

“There could be charges under the Criminal Code of Canada or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,” said SPCA general manager, Lorie Chortyk.

Chortyk said necropsies on the two dogs is happening this weekend, but the investigation could take a few more weeks. The investigating officer still needs to conduct more interviews with witnesses and gather evidence.

While there have been claims over social media that Bonnell has killed other animals in the past, Chortyk said they are not aware of any other incidents.