“It was marksmanship.” – Marcus Yagour
A Chester Township man is the first person in Geauga County to be charged under Goddard’s Law after being accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog on Jan. 21.
Dennis Dudich, 68, of Bentbrook Drive, was indicted Feb. 1 for allegedly killing the 3-year-old English Bulldog named Zoey, who was euthanized Jan. 22 after it was determined a bullet had severed her spinal cord and she likely would never walk again.
Goddard’s Law, also known as House Bill 60, makes knowingly causing serious physical harm to a companion animal a fifth-degree felony, punishable by six months to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The bill, which became law in September, is named after Dick Goddard, a long-time WJW Channel 8 weatherman and animal activist.
A grand jury indicted Dudich on one count each of animal cruelty concerning a companion animal and discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
“This is the first Goddard’s Law prosecution in Geauga County,” Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said Thursday. “Given the facts of this case, I believe it is an appropriate application of this new law.”
Zoey’s owner, Marcus Yagour, who lives with his parents, Mark and Peggy, two houses to the east of Dudich’s home, said Dudich shot the 65-pound Zoey — who was not on his property — around 5:30 p.m. because he believed she was a white cat that had been leaving muddy paw prints on his deck.
Marcus said police told him Dudich shot her with a .22-caliber rifle, equipped with a magnified scope, from at least 50 yards.
“It was marksmanship,” he added.
Marcus was given Zoey as a puppy when he was living in Charlotte, N.C.
On Jan. 21, Marcus said Zoey and his brother’s dog, Sadie, a Pit Bull rescue, were outside in a thick-wooded area in the backyard of an adjoining neighbor — property they had permission to be on.
“My mother was calling them to come back in when she heard two gunshots and like a blood-wrenching scream from a dog,” Marcus told the Geauga County Maple Leaf. He was not home at the time.
Peggy put her shoes on and ran out to their barn, where she spoke with Shaun Wheeler, who was working in the barn, Marcus said. Wheeler confirmed he heard two gunshots and said he had not seen the dogs.
“They went over to the next door neighbor’s yard to look for the dogs. There is an old railroad that used to run through Chesterland, so they started walking down the path and saw Sadie run out of the woods to come get them and then ran right back to where Zoey was,” Marcus said. “As soon as she (Sadie) got back to her (Zoey), my mom said she was just running in circles around Zoey.”
Zoey had been shot twice and was unable to move. Wheeler carried her to back to the Yagour’s home and placed her in the rear of Peggy’s car.
Peggy called Marcus and he, in turn, called Chester Township Police and sent them straight to Dudich’s home.
“I knew that’s who it was,” Marcus said of the shooter.
According to police records, the Yagours and Dudich have a past history. In August 2015, Dudich called police around 1:30 p.m. to complain about 4-wheelers racing up and down his street, claiming they were coming from the Yagour property. Police sat in the area for several minutes, but did not observe any 4-wheelers in the roadway.
About an hour later, Dudich again called police to report someone had damaged a lamp pole on his property the night before. He felt members of the Yagour family were responsible, adding he has ongoing issues with the family trespassing on ATVs.
Last March, Dudich called police to report that Marcus’ brother had threatened him with bodily harm after he found him behind a neighbor’s property attempting to get a pickup truck out of the mud.
A month later, Marcus called police to report Dudich was shooting and request a safety check. Police responded but did not hear any shooting.
Zoey was rushed to VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists, in Warrensville Heights, and later referred to Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, in Akron, where she was put to sleep the following morning.
Marcus said police told him they met with Dudich at his home and he said the two dogs had come onto his property earlier, so he chased them away.
Later, Dudich said he saw a white and black animal about 50 yards away in the woods. He believed it was a white cat that had been leaving muddy footprints on his deck. He fired two shots at the animal, Marcus said.
“There is no excuse for this,” Marcus said. “You don’t mistake a 65-pound dog for a cat.”
Even if Dudich thought Zoey was a cat, he added, “you still can’t shoot a cat.”
Marcus and Wheeler also walked the property with police and showed them a blood-splattered area where Zoey was found. Using GPS coordinates, it was determined Zoey was not on Dudich’s property, but rather the adjoining property.
One of Marcus’ friends has created a crowdfunding page at youcaring.com to help the Yagour family deal with Zoey’s loss. The money raised will be used for attorney’s fees and to raise awareness about animal abuse, according to the page organizer.
“My mom is not right because of what he did,” Marcus said.
