Van Gaalens Shooting

[TheBritishTwit]

I was there when this happened. Having lunch with my family. I saw the farmer walk past us with a shotgun. Someone else asked what was up. He explained there was a problem with feral dogs killing his livestock and posing a danger to visitors. We looked across towards the dam and the one dog was standing there stalking the ducks and other birds who had now moved into the water after being chased by the dog.

 

Not sure what dog it was but it was a big dog (Rottweiler size) and didn't look friendly. The farmer walked down to the reeds on the path where rides start and a farm worker walked down towards where the dog was. It had just climbed through the fence and was standing underneath a tree. When the farm worker chased the dog, it just stood there not afraid at all. It eventually sauntered off into the reeds, after which we heard a shot. This was obv when the farmer shot the dog.

 

However:- 10 min before the shot went off the farmer stood talking to a family having a picnic near the reeds. This was just as you turn left on the trail before the reeds and river. The family had packed up and were walking back up towards the parking lot, they were actually in the parking area when the shot went off. So I question the distance they were from the actual killing, and no way was the kid anywhere close enough to witness the killing. Unless there was another family in the vicinity. I doubt very much that the farmer would have discharged the shotgun in such close proximity of people and children.

 

Maybe the farmer could have dealt with this differently, everyone will have their opinions, be they right or wrong.

 

But understand this. Feral dogs or wild dogs are extremely dangerous. In packs they will not hesitate to attack an adult human, and alone they will attack and eat a child without hesitation. These dogs hunt for food without discrimination and cannot be rehabilitated back to a domestic dog even when caught. They are also very intelligent and difficult to catch.

I deal with farmers every day, and have heard how these packs have taken out fully grown cattle, and in one instance a fully grown bull.

 

The only remedy is to hunt them and shoot them.

 

I wonder what the response would have been if this same dog had attacked the family while they were having a picnic and mauled or killed their child !!! The farmer would have been blamed as well for not keeping his guests safe.

 

I support what the farmer did.

 

is there a chance that this can be put on VG's bookface page so the keyboard worriers will start quietening up?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

is there a chance that this can be put on VG's bookface page so the keyboard worriers will start quietening up?

It already is. But, much like when taking fact to an anti-vax party, it's being met with cries of "shill" and ad hominem attacks

[marxie]

The more I read on the internet the more I want to throat punch people.

 

In real life they're pleasant and normal - on the 'net they lose their flippin minds.

 

Commenting on the internet hardly ever has any real consequences, but in real life you have to be mindful of the fist possibly heading your way.

[TheKaiser]

Commenting on the internet hardly ever has any real consequences, but in real life you have to be mindful of the fist possibly heading your way.

This.

 

People are WAY more aggressive and brave sitting behind a keyboard.

I'd be surprised if 5% of all those Facebook posters would have the guts to approach the VG guys and speak to them in person, let alone use the same foul language.

[Patchelicious]

Best thing to do in these sitiations is to not engage with the social media masses or allow them to deface your platform.

 

Shut the VG Page down for a bit, and open it later when everybody has processsed their anger. If they really want to keep at it, they will create their own group to discuss this.

 

Edit: Just read the comments on FB, this is exactly why middle aged people shouldnt be on social media... Holy moly.

[VicanZA]

what if.....

 

what if...

 

what if..

 

Fact! this should of been handheld better, an hour later and none of the guest would of been on the property.

[rvdm1]

what if.....

 

what if...

 

what if..

 

Fact! this should of been handheld better, an hour later and none of the guest would of been on the property.

It is:

..should have..

..would have..

 

Now that I have that out of my system.

 

An hour later and the dog might have attacked a kid, in which case everybody would have said that the problem should have been dealt with earlier.

[Patchelicious]

For those who are critical of the farmer, can I ask.

 

How would you have dealt with it?

[VicanZA]

For those who are critical of the farmer, can I ask.

 

How would you have dealt with it?

We know that they had been a problem for the last 2 days already, deal with it out of sight from the city slickers... they buy their food wrapped in plastic they very removed from death etc..

 

I have no problem with putting the animal down, its the fact that it was done in front of paying guest. 

 

 

this would hurt any business its just bad PR.

[KingTJ]

For those who are critical of the farmer, can I ask.

 

How would you have dealt with it?

I would have phoned the SPCA, then gone to my workshop built a dog trap, while the wife was defrosting a lekker steak....after the 2 hours of building my trap and waiting for the SPCA....i would have walked out and found out the dog has bitten a child or killed more of my ducks and the dog had moved away..

[Halfdoesyn]

Looks like the majority of the bile spouting commenters on FB are women.

 

We know most cyclists are men, and probably most hubbers then.

 

Note the difference in tone on the two forums.

 

Happy Friday, everybody!

http://photos-ak.sparkpeople.com/nw/1/8/l1893602699.jpg

[dre]

We know that they had been a problem for the last 2 days already, deal with it out of sight from the city slickers... they buy their food wrapped in plastic they very removed from death etc..

 

I have no problem with putting the animal down, its the fact that it was done in front of paying guest. 

 

 

this would hurt any business its just bad PR.

You still haven't given an alternative of how you would have handled it... 

 

And as I understand from madmarc's post (who was there) is that it was out of sight. It was just that people heard a gunshot, correct me if I misunderstood. 

[L.T.G]

I was there when this happened. .............................................However:- 10 min before the shot went off the farmer stood talking to a family having a picnic near the reeds. This was just as you turn left on the trail before the reeds and river. The family had packed up and were walking back up towards the parking lot, they were actually in the parking area when the shot went off. So I question the distance they were from the actual killing, and no way was the kid anywhere close enough to witness the killing. Unless there was another family in the vicinity. I doubt very much that the farmer would have discharged the shotgun in such close proximity of people and children.

 

 

 

  its the fact that it was done in front of paying guest. 

it wasn't 

[BDF]

We know that they had been a problem for the last 2 days already, deal with it out of sight from the city slickers... they buy their food wrapped in plastic they very removed from death etc..

 

I have no problem with putting the animal down, its the fact that it was done in front of paying guest. 

 

 

this would hurt any business its just bad PR.

You appear to have your facts and fiction mixed up.

[Escapee..]

Please could someone post the link to the facebook action

 

 

How can someone take a dog out of a kids arms and shoot it? Deek move man

[dev null]

I fear that the social justice warriors on that FB site may eventually cause the owner to just say ' Fkkit, I am closing my farm to all cyclists, it's just not worth it'.