Arriving at a rural property, an Arizona sheriff’s deputy approaches a group of starving dogs behind a chain-link fence. Some are sleeping, while others bark and wag their tails. The deputy lays out food and water to corral them, body-camera video shows.
Washington
Deputy fatally shoots seven starving, abandoned dogs
The Apache County Sheriff’s Office, which serves roughly 65,000 people, maintains that the deputy did nothing wrong that day in September. Chief Deputy Roscoe Herrera said that since the county has no animal control service, deputies have discretion to handle animal issues as they see fit. The deputy, Jarrod Toadecheenie, declined to comment.
But the incident in Adamana, Ariz. — an unincorporated community about 100 miles east of Flagstaff — has outraged local animal advocates who say that shooting the dogs was the wrong solution and that the area desperately needs to address animal hoarding and abandonment. Some residents have launched Facebook groups to try to find homes for abandoned dogs and to expose people who illegally hoard animals.
“The Apache County Sheriff’s Office won’t do anything to fix the problem,” said Teresa Schumann, founder of the nonprofit Northern Arizona Animal Search and Rescue. “Animals are dying everywhere in the county.”
Molly Ottman, executive editor of the Mountain Daily Star, first obtained the body-camera footage of the incident and shared it with The Washington Post.
The dogs who were shot were owned by a divorcing couple who had abandoned the property, Toadecheenie wrote in the incident report. He wrote that he visited the home several times over a span of three weeks after neighbors called to complain about the canines.
On the first visit, he counted 10 dogs, “all of which seemed to be in good health.” A few days later, the deputy wrote, he responded to a call that the dogs had chased a neighbor’s donkey.
Toadecheenie contacted Schumann, who said she was struggling to find new owners for the dogs when the deputy called and said he would “handle it.” Schumann said she told him the dogs may need to be euthanized if they were feral.
On Sept. 22, Schumann told Toadecheenie that she hadn’t been able to find new homes for the dogs. After telling his supervisor that he planned to shoot the dogs, the deputy bought dog food and a tray, and collected water from a fire station.
Then he went to the couple’s property, corralled the dogs with the food and water, put on headphones and began to shoot the canines, the body-camera footage shows. Toadecheenie shot one dog two additional times as it continued to move.
Two dogs ran away uninjured and hid under a shed. They were later brought to a local animal shelter by Schumann. One died of parvovirus shortly after arriving, and the other was adopted, said Brandon Smigiel, a supervisor at Holbrook Animal Care and Control.
In the incident report, Toadecheenie recommended that the couple who allegedly abandoned the dogs be charged with animal cruelty. No charges had been filed as of Friday, according to county records.
Herrera, the sheriff’s chief deputy, acknowledged that the situation had caused the community “distress.”
“This tragic decision was made under extremely difficult circumstances due to a combination of limited resources, the willful neglect and abandonment of the dogs by their original owners, and the considerable amount of time spent seeking assistance from outside resources,” he said in a statement to The Post.
In a separate statement provided to KPNX 12 News on June 6, the sheriff’s office seemed to blame a lack of funding.
“Apache County does not have an animal care and control department. In the unincorporated areas that responsibility is left up to the deputies and actions taken vary and are considered on a case-by-case basis. We do not have the infrastructure or budget to support such a department.”
Schumann, who runs the rescue nonprofit, said she never thought the deputy would shoot the animals.
“It infuriates me when the sheriff’s office says they don’t have the resources” to handle animal situations differently, she said. “There are plenty of people who are trying to help.”
The Arizona Humane Society called the situation “entirely preventable” and lamented that the sheriff’s office had not asked it for help.
“This awful incident lacked all compassion and judgement,” Jennifer Armbruster, a spokeswoman for the humane society, said in a statement. “And what is most clear is that establishing an animal care and control service in Apache County is an absolute necessity to prevent something like this from happening in the future.”
Animal hoarding is at “epidemic levels” in Arizona, creating dangerous situations, said Terri Hoffman, founder of Animal Rights Champions of Arizona. Last summer, three mixed-breed pit bulls mauled a 2-year-old Apache County girl to death. Still, Hoffman said that she wants the deputy to be held accountable and that killing abandoned dogs is not an appropriate solution to hoarding.
“I’ve been to homes where there’s over 53 dogs,” Hoffman said. “Some people hoard horses and goats out here, too. I’ve seen dogs with open wounds, severe infections. Animals are dying.”
I was stunned into silence, basically. I had no idea what to do or say, or why he had said that to me, but I was definitely feeling plenty on the inside. Decades later, to this day, this memory regularly surfaces with its accompanying feelings of helplessness and anger, and I always wonder how Miss Manners would have reacted (or not) in my place.
“Why, thank you. You are definitely not.”
Dear Miss Manners: I have sold many items locally through ads placed online. Most buyers I’ve dealt with are nice, polite people. However, there are a few who seem interested, or even excited, about buying an item — exchanging several back-and-forth emails with me — but when it’s time to meet for the sale, all communication goes dead.
I’m inclined to write to them, as I find this behavior discourteous, but don’t know quite what to say. What would be appropriate and civil? I realize they may never read my response, but at least I’ll have the satisfaction of expressing my reaction to their behavior.
It will be worse if they do read your response. Trust Miss Manners when she says that telling customers that they have bad manners, even if accurate, is both improper and bad for business.
Dear Miss Manners: Our neighbor of 25+ years has been given a very short time to live; the cancer came on suddenly and unexpectedly. She and her husband have been delightful dinner guests, as well as good neighbors, for years. They are good company, and our children grew up together. She’s quite clearly decided to withdraw from the world in grief. We understand. It’s devastating.
However, this is taking its toll on her husband. He’s lost a good bit of weight and is very likely not eating well. He’s the cook at their house, and a good one, but we imagine neither of them has much interest in eating. We have offered to cook some good, enjoyable dinners for them both. They’ve declined, very politely, which we can understand. We have also offered to just drop off a basket on their porch and send a text that it’s there.
Might you be able to suggest how we can support our friends — offer a respite from cooking and tempt their appetites — while supporting their desire to be alone? We’re dissolving in a puddle of helplessness here.
You do not have to assume that the wife is oblivious to all concerns but her own. Try to speak with her alone — or, failing that, address a note only to her. Miss Manners would have you assure her that whatever boundaries the couple sets, you will, of course, respect. But add that you would appreciate the opportunity to prepare some meals — as you are concerned for her husband’s health, as well as for hers.
New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com. You can also follow her @RealMissManners.
The Washington Commanders made it a point to upgrade their backfield this offseason, signing veteran Austin Ekeler to a two-year/$8.43 million deal in March. The move came in the aftermath of former Commanders running back Antonio Gibson agreeing to a contract with the New England Patriots during the free agency period.
Gibson spent four years in Washington after being selected by the franchise in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. His usage began to fall off over the last two years due to the rise of Brian Robinson Jr., who totaled 1,530 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground during 2022-23.
READ MORE: Commanders Reveal Training Camp Dates and Fan Information
Though Gibson’s time with the Patriots is just beginning, he’s already noticed a difference in the locker room compared to his tenure with the Commanders.
“The locker room is very accepting. I feel like it’s more of a bond here, they do a lot of things together,” Gibson said according to Sports Illustrated’s Patriot Country. “Nothing against my brothers on the other side, but everybody communicates with each other — from offense to defense. That’s a good feeling coming over here and them being accepting.”
The comments don’t necessarily come as a surprise as Washington never finished over .500 during Gibson’s time with the team. The lack of success on the field and diminishing chemistry in the locker room are a major reason why the Commanders decided to make changes at every level of the franchise this offseason.
Washington brought in a new general manager (Adam Peters), head coach (Dan Quinn), and franchise quarterback (Jayden Daniels). The investments will probably take time to truly pay off but there’s no doubt that the current makeup of the franchise has the Commanders beginning to trend up across the NFL.
The Patriots are also entering a new era after promoting Jerod Mayo to head coach. Gibson could be a useful piece out of the gate for rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He rushed 642 times for 2,643 yards with 22 touchdowns while catching 172 passes for 1,283 yards and seven more scores.
It won’t be long before Gibson gets to his old team face-to-face. The Commanders and Patriots will match up in their final preseason game on August 25.
READ MORE: National Outlets Sleeping on Commanders?
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders wrapped their mandatory minicamp and set out on a 40 day break between it and the start of training camp in late July.
It’s an opportunity for players and coaches alike to rest a bit and squeeze in some valuable family time before kicking the Commanders’ reclamation project into overdrive.
READ MORE: Commanders Reveal Training Camp Dates and Fan Information
Training camp is also an opportunity for lesser-known players to establish themselves and for the well-knowns on the roster in Washington to assert their place at the top of the depth charts.
Here are three players who set themselves up nicely to do that, thanks to strong performances during the team’s minicamp and offseason workout program.
JAYDEN DANIELS, QUARTERBACK
He’s a bit of a no-brainer, but Daniels came in as a No. 2 overall selection and left the minicamp as the nearly unquestioned leader of the Commanders.
We say nearly because in truth he’s surrounded by veterans like linebacker Bobby Wagner and tight end Zach Ertz who can do the heavy player-coach lifting and motivating while Daniels focuses on learning and executing the playbook.
With that framework is where he’s really shone so far as his reputation for being one of the first in the building and last off the practice field has endeared him to his teammates and the work he’s putting in beforehand is showing when they get to their practical exercises.
His control of the offense, knowledge of checks and reads, and overall demeanor have won over the coaches and his teammates so far. And that’s all you can ask of a first-round pick carrying the weight of the franchise’s future on his shoulders.
QUAN MARTIN, SAFETY
Sam Fortier of The Washington Post pointed at Martin when asked who the standout player of minicamp was on a recent appearance on the Locked On Commanders podcast.
The second-year defensive back was arguably one of the more solid players from last year’s otherwise lackluster NFL Draft class, and a late-season move to free safety started to show his potential.
This year, he’s much more solidified at that position and is appearing to create a solid starting duo with first-year Washington safety Jeremy Chinn who came over from the Carolina Panthers.
DAN QUINN, HEAD COACH
Ok, Quinn isn’t a player so in some ways he shouldn’t be qualified to make this list. But he’ll be a major player in the way this Washington turnaround project progresses or fails, so we’re making an exception.
The words he spoke this offseason all sounded great. They rang the tone usually carried by a true leader who had a clear plan and the right people in place to execute it.
But the minicamp was the first really big test of those words being put into action, and from everything we witnessed it appears he and his unit passed that first inspection with flying colors.
There are no pads, no hitting, and the football is only marginally ‘real’, but it’s all we have to gauge and when we’re talking about people who have momentum heading into training camp Quinn is arguably the biggest.
READ MORE: National Outlets Sleeping on Commanders?
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
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