You should re-read the law. If dog is an immediate threat (rabid) and on my property, clearly I don’t have to wait for it to bite me, and I don’t have to wait for it to eat my chickens. Screen shoot away.

To anyone who is condoning what Gene Nelson did or who says he's such a good man, don't be a fool. Anyone who kills an innocent dog and then lies about it is unstable and capable of doing it a third time. The DA needs to do his or her job and make this cowardly liar accountable for his actions. This is despicable and upsetting behavior that needs to be stopped.

You should re-read the law. Clearly it says "after other attempts are made". It's a felony for a reason. Hiding the body is illegal too. You can't shoot a dog ' just because', then hide the body then three months later release a made up a story 'of defense'? I have a gorgeous flock of chickens, (I wouldn't shoot a dog) but IF I did you better believe I'd be calling the police and documenting my case. I repeat, it's a felony. If you are committing a felony you better be prepared to defend your reason.

If you’re defending your livestock from an attacking dog it is not a felony, and because it is an immediate threat to your chickens, there is no need to place yourself in danger.

He buried the dogs body. He found it easier to dig a hole,... how deep did he dig the hole? Did he whip out some heavy equipment or did he use a shovel? But wow just effort, why not just say hey i shot your dog come get it... why also go through the trouble of disposing of the body...???

Perhaps he wanted to give the poor dog a proper burial?

If this loser didn't have anything to hide, he would give the dog back. He clearly shot this innocent dog for the thrill of it and is just trying to protect his own A$$ and make some money. Sorry but NO chicken is worth $20/chicken. If an animal attacked and hurt my animals, I'd be taking pictures of it. Plus, if the dog was "Killing" his chickens, how did he manage to kill the dog without shooting one of his own chickens? This man is a worthless, lieing piece of shit who deserves anything that Karma gives him!!! He deserves to be taken out back and used for target practice!! I hope he rots in He**

It’s a dog that was clearly not controlled by its owner, why would you conclude it wasn’t attacking his chickens? Is the life of a chicken worth less than the life of a dog?

Hey -... is your name Gene? Did you read his (I mean, your) own statements? The man/you had no intention of giving a “proper burial”. If so innocent, produce the body which could clear up everything. You’re not fooling anyone by your comments, Gene. Or Gene’s friend.

Clearly I’m not Gene, just been attacked by dogs that have asshat owners who put their dogs in bad situations. This dog was clearly out of control as evidenced that it ran from its owners and didn’t return. They never should have brought a dog that needed leashing into the situation. But yeah, blame the owner that’s trying to protect his animals.

You’re right the dog didn’t return because he had been murdered. Guess you don’t know if he would have or not had Gene not decided to take down someone’s pet. A dog isn’t out of control if it requires a leash. Do you know anything at all about dogs? Gene?

Goes back to what Dos said to start with, the Maidlian Island isn’t their dog park.

Owner said the dog was gone for over an hour. Try reading the article.

And the article also says no evidence of dead chickens. You know what would clear it all up? The body.

Dog was on property, immediate threat to chickens. Case closed.

Spoken like the one and only Gene Nelson. You can hope it’s that simple.

The Local Police said it's that simple. The moral of the story: do us all favor, and keep your dog on a leash, or better yet, properly train it. Madeline island is no dog park.

What an asshole. Unstable POS. Just because you're a Nelson it doesn't give you carte blanche to get away with murder. I hope you rot!!!! I've always hated you. And shame on the Island for condoning this

Even gene couldn't have missed the outpouring of support and efforts donated by a wonderful community in the search for bruzzo. Hundreds of posters ..people searching for days on foot..on bikes..in personal and town vehicles..kayakers...by boat..this was very public and very visible to anyone with eyes. If he had any once of justification for this cowardly act he could have saved every one searching a ton of valuable time and resources.

Under the law dogs are considered property and as such protected by these same laws and as we all know, you can't damage another person's property without consequences. Also, your property in turn can not damage another person's property, in this case livestock, without consequences. I am not going to argue if a dog is a good or bad dog. I think there are dogs and then there are good and bad dog owners. Even the best restrained dog can get away, can do harm, but should not die for it. The law intended to protect dogs but at the same time not reward bad ownership, people that refuse to restrain their dogs, ignore warnings. As with most laws the statutory protection comes with exemptions that make it lawful to take the dogs life but only after specific conditions are met guaranteeing this animal is in no way a one time violator and the owner is given a chance to take the necessary steps to train their dog. Also, I believe it is required to be documented, shoot, call police, photograph dead livestock, hand over dog to be returned to owner. A police report should be filed. I think this is the biggest problem people have, lack of evidence. Nelson is afraid of a backlash but dragging a dead dog back to an owner hardly sounds like a person that really cares what anyone thinks. Also telling a large group in a bar seems to imply, I did it and there is nothing you can do about it attitude. Nelson could have photographed the dead chickens which I am sure anyone would have done. He could have sat on the photo and if he was discovered present it but a police photo I believe was necessary. I am not an attorney but my personal feeling is that without a history of tresspass by this dog or any other attempt to protect his livestock he has not met the burden of exemption under the law. Just my thoughts.