Exonerated

I am pleased to announce that Romeo, 2 year old white male standard poodle, has been exonerated of all charges of duck killing and, by extension, of chicken mauling.

Yesterday late afternoon, around 7pm, while out in the paddock with the horses, Romeo and Barney were allowed to stretch their legs in a game of free for all. In doing so they startled the ducks which scattered in various directions. One of the ducks got caught in the fence whilst trying to flee the rowdy dogs and Barney, 6 year old male of mixed origins, gave chase. Barney, despite being called off in no uncertain terms by his owner, Wayne Jolly of WindDancer Farm, repeatedly went after the duck, even moving into the other paddock when the duck got through the fence, in order to continue his chase.

When faced with a fleeing duck, right in his line of sight, Romeo showed signs of giving in to his prey drive. He freely admits that in a moment of weakness, he gave in to his baser instincts and took after the fluttering duck, but his heart wasn't really in it. He only gave symbolic chase to prove his manhood in front of his peers (his mother, Montana, 7 year old white standard poodle, and Barney's mother, Mischa, black and white 9yr old staffordshire terrier) who were watching from inside the house yard and who were barking excitedly.

Romeo states he did not persue the duck with intent to capture, maim or kill. He was merely asserting his right to express the nature of his breeding when he gave a short chase, and was happy to oblige when called off, thereby retaining his 'bird dog' reputation intact while still earning praise and pats from his owner, Zefi Famelis, also of WindDancer Farm.

It has come to light that earlier in the day witnesses saw Barney chase a duck off her nest near the dam, located at WindDancer Farm. Barney excused his behaviour at the time by saying the duck startled him when she jumped out of the brush in front of him, turning on his reflexive hunter/prey drive. He claimed remorse and undertook a promise not to re-offend.

However, despite being this undertaking and a severe dressing down in front of his peers for his bad behaviour regarding the fleeing duck in the late afternoon, Barney Jolly further incrimiated himself later in the evening by attacking another duck, thus irrefutably proving that he, and he alone, was responsible for the deaths of the chickens and ducks that have occurred at WindDancer Farm.

While the defense is willing to stipulate that Romeo (assisted by Montana and Mischa) may have aided and abetted in these vile acts with his enthusiastic lunging and leaping, we would like to state that Romeo, of his own accord, would never have killed or maimed a member of the feathered flocks residing at WindDancer Farm.

Barney has been sentenced to a month of house yard incarceration and preydrive counselling. Barney will be eligible for parole in a week's time providing his behaviour is exemplary and the counsellor is satisfied that Barney is making every effort to change his duck killing ways.

z