Animal Control officer called to neighborhood for coyote sighting kills ‘loveable’ pet dog, owner distraught

In the town of Northbridge, Massachusetts, an animal control officer accidentally shot and killed a pet dog. Local police have described the incident, which has infuriated the dog’s owner, as an unfortunate misunderstanding.

A coyote was reported in a residential backyard on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at around 11:30 a.m. near Fowler Road, which prompted the shooting. When the animal control officer went into the woods to respond to the neighbor’s call, they came across what they thought was a coyote. According to Police Chief Timothy Labrie, while the officer was searching the woods he heard a “blood-curdling scream” from the same resident he had just spoken with, ran back out, and saw an animal he believed was a coyote advancing with its head down and hackles raised. The officer shot the animal because he believed it was in a dangerous, aggressive posture.

A closer look revealed that the animal was a domesticated dog with a flea collar rather than a coyote; Labrie said the officer realized his mistake only after spotting that collar. Kirk Rumford, a resident of Northbridge, identified the deceased pet as Odin, a husky who was roughly 10 to 11 months old. Rumford said that the use of deadly force was disappointing and that there were non-lethal alternatives. He made it clear that his dog did not resemble a coyote.

“My dog would have been the most gorgeous coyote ever, on steroids. It’s huge compared to that. Look at pictures of what a coyote looks like in Massachusetts and my dog. My dog was beautiful. He looked like a wolf if anything, and there are no wolves in Massachusetts,” Rumford stated.

Rumford has gotten a lot of support from the community and hopes that his story will serve as a warning to avoid dog-authority conflicts in the future, much like other animal-welfare cases that have galvanized public outcry. In his loving words, he called Odin a “knucklehead” and a “lovable klutz” who was kind and enjoyed being with dogs.

Timothy Labrie, the chief of police in Northbridge, defended the animal control officer’s actions, claiming that it was reasonable in the given situation for the dog to have been mistakenly identified as a coyote. Labrie stated that the officer would not face any disciplinary action. He said the department was trying to help the family in the aftermath, including offering to cover the cost of Odin’s cremation, adding that many on the force are animal owners themselves and “truly feel bad.” Rumford, for his part, pushed back on the department’s account of the dog’s behavior, disputing claims that Odin had been growling or baring his teeth. In order to reduce the likelihood of such incidents, Labrie counseled dog owners to take safety measures to protect their animals.

“We do have leash laws. At the end of the day if you can keep your fenced-in areas secure, keep an eye on your dog, do whatever methods that you can use to keep your dog in your yard,” Labrie said. “And also if your dog tends to wander in the woods, I would definitely have identifying markers on them.”

The shooting takes place as human-coyote encounters in Massachusetts and other areas have increased recently. In response to worries about pet deaths and the perceived threats posed by coyotes, the town of Nahant, Massachusetts, has taken the extraordinary step of entering into a contract with the federal government to eradicate the animals.