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Hernando Today

Eleven Shots End Old Cow's Misery

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By KYLE MARTIN Hernando Today

Published: December 18, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - An old cow thought to have been attacked by dogs was shot - 11 times - to end its suffering.

Kenneth Grubbs keeps about 85 head of cattle on his rural spread, which is bordered by Old Trilby Road, Siesta Road and Thurston Road.

On Saturday morning, one of those cows was discovered mauled in a glen on the property.

"Her whole backside was just chewed up," said Grubbs' wife, Ilamae. "She couldn't have lived."

So Kenneth Grubbs loaded his .22 pistol and headed out to do his duty. The first shot went in the brain. That didn't do the trick. Neither did the second shot, nor the third.

After six shots, the 30-year-old cow was still breathing. Grubbs called the law. Deputy Stephen Dillon responded.

"There was a large 12-inch gash (about six inches wide and five inches deep)" in its hindquarters, Dillon reported.

The wounds and the pool of blood surrounding the cow all pointed to an attack, he said.

The deputy contacted his supervisor to ask if he could kill the cow. The sergeant gave the go ahead. Dillon drew his department-issued Glock 22 and put two shots through the cow's forehead.

No luck.

The next two shots went through the temple.

The cow lived.

A final shot went into the neck and through an artery.

The cow bled to death, Grubbs said.

With the cow dispatched, Dillon turned his attention to the alleged culprits. When he pulled into a neighbor's driveway, four barking dogs greeted him.

The deputy described them as two mixed breeds and a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd. They did not seem aggressive, Dillon said, and allowed him to examine their paws and teeth for signs of an attack. He didn't find any.

Their owner said the dogs have played with dead animals before, but never attacked a live one.

The deceased cow recently gave birth to a calf and was fully recovered when the dogs attacked.

Ilamae Grubbs said the natural order of life will be preserved and the body left for the buzzards.

"You need to feed the buzzards if you have anything decent to feed them," she said.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com

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