A father in Maine has received death threats after he shot a pit bull that allegedly charged at him and his toddler son. Adam Stade, of Bangor, was playing on his driveway with his 3-year-old son, Benny, when his neighbor, Samuel Robichaud, 32, let his dog, Blink, outside shortly before 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
Robichaud said he had the dog on a leash while he took out his trash, but the dog got away and ran toward Stade, jumping a barrier to get there. Stade fired four to five shots at the dog, hitting the eight-year-old Blink, according to the owner.
However, Stade rebuked his neighbor's story, accusing Robichaud of purposely letting go of the dog's collar and allowing it to charge at him and his son. 'That dog came flying straight across his whole driveway into my yard, and I shot it with Benny right behind me,' the single dad recalled. 'I shot at it four times and hit it once, then the kid came flying over my garden to get his dog and chased it back to his place. My main thought was: "Benny's right here, I can't let the dog get past me."'
Blink, whose owner said was an emotional support dog, was taken to a veterinarian and later euthanized. Robichaud was civilly charged with having a dog at large the following day. 'Blink [was] more than just a pet - she's my family,' Robichaud wrote on a GoFundMe page. He was left with a $4,000 vet bill and is asking for help to pay for the dog's cremation.
Bangor Detective Lieutenant Brent Beaulieu said the dog owner had been warned before about keeping his dog under control, according to the Bangor Daily News. Stade told The Maine Wire he had called Animal Control and the police on Robichaud about Blink earlier that week. Animal Control responded, speaking with Robichaud through his window, as the 32-year-old reportedly refused to open his door. He reportedly told authorities his dog had not been violent before, and the pooch was allowed off-leash again.
Stade admitted he threatened to shoot the dog if the animal came on his property. 'You need to put your dog on a leash; if he comes over here, I will shoot your dog,' he recalled telling his neighbor. 'I don't want to shoot anyone's dog. I love dogs, but I don't want that dog attacking me or my son. If you are a dog owner, you still have a responsibility to protect other little kids and grown-ups from your dog, and it's sad that there are so many irresponsible dog owners out there.'
Since the incident, Stade has been subjected to a barrage of online threats. One message he shared said: 'You're a disgusting pos [piece of s**t], I hope you get your kid taken away. Or actually, I hope someone shoots your kid in the face five times and you watch.' Another read: 'F**king big man you are. Pray you never see me in public, I will shoot you and that's a threat. I will feed you to my dogs...I will hurt you. Do us all a favor and go jump off a f**king bridge.' People also reportedly posted his business card online, which included his phone number and email address.
Stade, who was given his handgun back by police, blamed the local news' portrayal of the situation for the threats. 'Nothing in the news coverage of it said that it was a father, a single dad of a three-year-old protecting his son from a vicious pit bull that was attacking him on his property, so it's a lot of media bias,' he said.
