A man in Norwalk, Ohio recently called the local emergency number with a bizarre tale — he claimed that his four-year-old boxer, Lula, had been shot in the head…and that she had done it to herself. His ridiculous story was that he had trained Lula to retrieve his gun for him, and that in doing so, she had discharged the weapon into her own head. The man eventually caved, and admitted that he had accidentally shot the poor pup in the jaw when he was trying to unload his gun.
Lula’s owner did the right thing by calling for help — it absolutely saved Lula’s life. No matter what truly happened that day, we can say with confidence that he did not want her to suffer or die. But the truth of that matter is that Lula’s owner’s blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit for driving, and he was handling a deadly weapon while intoxicated which resulted in the harm of another living thing.
The solution to this heartbreaking story is not locking this man up, nor is it bankrupting him with fines — both of those things just create more vulnerable, desperate members of society. The solution should be to take away his access to these powerful weapons that he has proven he cannot be responsible for. Sign the petition and ask that Lula’s owner’s charges be shifted so that he is banned from owning firearms again!