By Matt Miller matt@dmcityview.com

A loss in the family

Van Meter resident tries to rewrite Iowa law

Whatever happened to the saying, “everyone deserves a second chance?” That’s just the question Deb Wilbers continues to ponder as she tries to piece together the logic behind her neighbor Eric Kenoyer killing her dog, Sadie.

“It never occurred to me that someone would kill her, let alone a neighbor right down the road,” said Wilbers, who resides in Van Meter. “I still don’t understand how he could do such a thing. What he has done to our family is devastating to say the least. She was a part of our family, but she’s gone now.”
Kenoyer shot Sadie in the head on March 12 with a .22 rifle after claiming she killed some of his family’s chickens.

Wilbers admits in the days leading up to the event, Sadie somehow found a way to escape from the invisible fence that surrounds their three-acre perimeter.

“We had seen Sadie escape the fence,” Wilbers said. “But we didn’t even know he owned chickens. If we would have known, we would have chained Sadie up until we had an opportunity to fix the fence.”

Kenoyer could not be reached for comment.

Without the opportunity to fix the fence, Wilbers is wanting to try to rewrite Iowa’s law pertaining to animal control ordinances. Although Wilbers initially contacted the Madison County Sheriff’s Office about the incident, there is little she can do under Iowa law. Currently, Iowa Code 351.27 states, “it shall be lawful for any person to kill a dog wearing a collar with a rabies vaccination tag attached, when the dog is caught in the act of chasing, maiming, or killing any domestic animal or fowl, or when such dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person.”

Wilbers has gone on the offensive, contacting numerous agencies across the state and nation to try and change the code. She blogged about her experience online, complete with pictures of Sadie, and soon found a network of friends who support her views in changing the law.

“I honestly didn’t think I would get this much support,” Wilbers said. “Numerous people have contacted me about how they don’t agree that it is legal to do something so destructive.”

Wilbers is hoping for a change in the law similar to Alaska’s which says, “any dog that habitually annoys a wild deer, reindeer, sheep, cattle, horse, or other animal or bird either domestic or wild, or evinces a disposition which makes it likely that it will without provocation bite an animal or fowl, may be lawfully killed by any person when it is found at large. The owner or keeper of the dog, if known or reasonably identifiable, shall be notified and given reasonable opportunity to restrain the dog before it is lawful to kill it.”

“I believe the Alaska law is the best law that Iowa can pass in allowing the owners of the dog to make an effort to correct the situation before killing the animal is necessary,” Wilbers said. “If Eric would have given us the chance to chain her up or fix the fence before he killed her, we would of done it in a heartbeat. We would have done whatever we could of done to make up for the loss of chickens. I just don’t get it. I think he was just thinking in the moment and killed her. I don’t think he realized how important she was in our lives.”

Nearly four months after the incident, the Wilbers’ lives are beginning to get back on track. They recently accepted the gift of a female black lab puppy from a co-worker. Her name is Pepper.

“She reminds us a lot of Sadie,” Wilbers said. “She is a part of our family now.”

In the next few weeks, Wilbers plans to write a letter to the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives hoping to gain more support. She also wants to create a Web site telling her story to gain attention regarding animal control ordinances.

“Our neighbor carried out a violent act on our dog,” Wilbers said. “Problems like this shouldn’t be carried out by getting out a gun.” CV

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