A dog that was shot, and killed, and left in the Talkeetna ballpark Friday night was the topic of a gathering of over 30 people and 3 Alaska state troopers Monday night in Talkeetna’s Village Park.
The gathering was called by resident Todd Basilone. The meeting was mostly peaceful, but also raised a number of questions about safety of animals and use of firearms in public places. A few residents threw out accusations. The dog was owned by an out of town visitor playing in a band over the weekend and shot by a resident. The underlying message in the end was — take care of your pets and keep them close at hand.
The death of the dog was brought to the attention of the troopers after the incident. Troopers are investigating the case and no details will be available until the investigation is complete.
The gathering Monday evening was a smattering of Talkeetna’s long time residents, new residents and a few visitors to Talkeetna. Those that have lived here longest warned, even though the shooting might have been wrong, that people need to keep their dogs under control.
The Mat Su Borough code requires that animals need to be continuously under restraint. Borough animal care officers can be called for animals not under the care of their owners. In the last year, according to the Borough’s animal care website, officers responded to 530 calls Borough-wide of animals running loose and damaging property.
*the story has been amended from its original airing.
