Murder of Dogs in South Dakota

[Cindy Reid]

Please help!! I am posting the story that I had my niece write regarding the murder of her 2 dogs on Sunday, April 20th, 2008 in Agar, South Dakota by the Sully County sherriff, Bill Stahl. His phone # is 605-350-7380. Her name is Elisha Prien, I can give her address and phone number if newpaper, tv, or legal official needs it to do SOMETHING about this. I would appreciate any and all help, suggestions, anything that can be done about this horriffic situation and the cruelty displayed by the law in that area. THANK YOU!! I am posting this in multiple groups in hopes of getting this story out to as many people as possible.

On Saturday the 19th of April I gave my dogs a bath and after waiting tilll they were dry, I let them out to use the bathroom as usual. About 5 minutes later I went to let them in and only my dog Gresky came in. Yzerman and Tippie wouldn't respond. I kept going out and calling for them but they didn't respond. They didn't come home that night and I was worried because that isn't like my dogs not to come when I called them. On Sunday morning, after a sleepless night, I went up and down the road looking for my dogs hoping for the best, and still I couldnt find them. By Sunday evening I was VERY worried! Knowing my dogs were gone for almost 24 hrs and had not come home I couldn't bear to think that something bad had happened to them. My husband and I had heard the neighbor wanted to harm our dogs, so when my husband came home from work he went to our neighbors house to confront the man. He said he had not killed the dogs and that we wouldn't find them on his property. Worried that he was lying, I called the sheriff. No one was at the jail so I left a very distressful message. About 20 minutes later I got a call back from the sheriff, I told him my story and he said to me "I killed your dogs!" Very disgusted and in shock, I asked him why and he replied " Saturday afternoon someone hit a deer on the highway and your dogs came out of the shelter belt and started eating on the deer. And dragged the deer from the ditch to the field." (which is odd knowing that my dogs are both small, Yzerman only weighs 48 pounds and Tippie only weighs around 10 pounds as he was just 6 months old and a small breed, and a deer usually weighs around 150 pounds) He said when he approached my dogs they were growling at him. Which I also find odd. Yzerman is one of the most well mannered dogs you would of ever meet, and Tippie too. So he said he shot them because they didnt have any collars on them. I tried to explain that I had just given them a bath before I let them out to go to the bathroom and had not had the chance to put their collars back on. And he had said that he had to put the deer down also. Another oddity, why would the dogs attempt to "eat on the deer" or drag it off the road if it were still alive?? The whole time I spoke with the sheriff he had no remorse, even after I told him Tippie was still a puppie. She wasnt even 6 months old yet!! He said to me "we can't have dogs running at large" has he never heard of animal control? And knowing for a fact there are at least 15 dogs running around Onida.(at large). He even went as far as to tell me he wasn't going to sit there and be interrogated by me! I feel I had EVERY right to find out what happened to my babies!! So when I hung up the phone my husband and I went to the field to try and find our dogs, and sadly we did. My dogs were around 100 yards west of the deer, and Yzer and Tip were around 30 yards apart from one another. Also to my horror, I also noticed he had shot them in their stomachs!! Which meant they had lain there and suffered in severe pain and agony for hours until they died!!! My husband and I have had Yzer since he was a pup. He would of been 3 years old in November. Anyone who has ever met our boy instantly fell in love with him. He held a spot in everyone's heart who ever met him! He was very social (loved attention) and has went everywhere with us since he was a pup. And Tippie was always happy shaking her butt and wagging her tail. They both were exellent with children. Ask any of our friends! And what makes this so hard for my husband and I, is that I am unable to have children and those dogs were our kids! You would never of met more spoiled dogs! I have done nothing but sit and cry since my babies were murdered ,knowing I will never get to see my dogs run and play again. No one ever tried to contact us to let us know there was a problem. I know there has to be a better way to have handled the situation other than killing innocent dogs!! In my eyes the sheriff ,Bill Stahl, of Sully county in Agar,South Dakota killed my kids! It is a very small town, and he knew who the dogs belonged to. None of the information that he gave me regarding the reason he shot my dogs, or the location that I found their bodies in regards to the body of the deer, why we or even animal control wasn't contacted, or basically ANYTHING he said has a bit of truth to it... I ask with a very heavy heart for someone to help my husband and I see justice for my babies! I can't fight someone who thinks he is above the law by myself. And if you don't stand for what you believe in you will fall for everything! And intend to stand tall for my babies. Knowing they are unable to do so for there selfs now.

Elisha Prien
Agar, South Dakota

[Athena89]

I am so incredibly sorry! This is a crime. We need to contact every organization we can to help with this... I will get on this... and you can also send this same story to any of the org's you can find. Is there any local humane group in your area? Like SD Humane Socitey branch?

[Cindy Reid]

I actually live in Pinckneyville, IL, my niece lives in South Dakota....I am a member of my local Humane Society, and my friend is a licensed animal officer in IL, so we are doing all we can from here....trying to get my niece to contact local newspapers and TV stations in her area with this....THANK you for any assistance that you can give...feel free to copy and send the story to others.....

[Cindy Reid]

If everyone would please email the local newspaper and TV station in the Agar, SD area and let them know HOW important it is for this to be made public, I think it would help to encourage them to print the story...Elisha was contacted by a reporter for the Watchman, the Agar paper, and he said that he was going to contact his editor to see they would do it and get back with her....so let them know it IS important!!

Thank you!!!

[e-mail] kelo land news on channel 12
[e-mail] news paper in pierre
[e-mail] our local news paper

and here is website for petition:

I have just visited GoPetition and found the following page very interesting:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/murder-of-dogs-in-agar-south-da...

Regards

[Cindy Reid]

Obviously Kaicee, someone from your "wonderful" community called Elisha under the pretense of being a reporter...but that doesn't surprise me in the least....your absolutely right, SOMEONE is full of crap....

[Linda I. Ramirez]

What can people do about this? Can we spread it around in other websites ilke myspace maybe.

[Cindy Reid]

thats what I am trying to do...I feel that the more exposure it receives, then the better chances of SOMETHING being done about this horribly cruel act!! Someone sent me SD cruelty laws and due to him shooting them in the stomachs, it could be considered a misdemeanor...I VERY MUCH appreciate any and all help with this!!

[Athena89]

So far, I found this page... start here... and I will keep trying...
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_investigate&a...

[SUGAR PLUM]

That just make my blood boil reading this story and at the same time tears come to my eyes because of what you must of gone through seeing your babies laying there. Im so sorry i will put you in my prayers tonight. Its just ridiculous how people can have no thought about that being someones pets. And like im so sure he didnt realize that hes bigger then they are and could of called animal control he should be repremanded for this. We have to do something about it what ever i can do to help just let me know. Thanks Renee and Sugar Plum

[Cindy Reid]

The main thing that I am trying to do it get this into the newspapers or local TV station in SD and have it picked up by the AP wire and then it will be sent worldwide....so if anyone can copy and send the above story to a newspaper or get some kind of coverage, I would VERY much appreciate it!! Thanks to all for your support and kind words....

[Debby]

Hi Cindy and Elisha,

Have you contacted the Animal Legal Defense Fund? www.aldf.org? They may be able to assist you, or if not, could recommend someone who will. My heart breaks at reading your story. I hope you at least get some justice.

[Cindy Reid]

I sent them the above story by email and am waiting for a reply...THANK YOU sosososo much for all of the assistance!! It means so much to us that everyone is so willing to help us with this tragic situation....

[Priscilla Clarke]

Im so sorry .. this outrages me .. if I was you I would send your story into the editorial sections of the local papers.. at least, in my town you can write a letter to the editor of the newspaper discussing anything and usually it will get put in print. I would not let your sheriff get away with this .. make a huge scene ..people will listen.