Gainesville —
Texas coon hunters are paying attention as a civil trial involving the 2008 shooting of two champion hunting dogs unfolds in a Gainesville courtroom.
The dogs’ owners, Robert Boyd and Ricky Lynch, are suing Cooke County property owner Everett Durrett, Jr. for killing the two Treeing Walker dogs during an AKC sanctioned hunt near Durrett’s property on County Road 156.
Durrett admits shooting the dogs after he saw the animals running near a pasture in which he and his wife keep their cutting horses on County Road 156 near FM 678, a Cooke County Sheriff’s Office information report stated.
According to the report, Durrett told officers that coyotes and wild dogs had been harrassing his horses prior to the shooting.
Deputies were first dispatched to the scene in response to a report of “suspicious activity” in the 1100 block of County Road 156. When Deputy Charles Johnson arrived, he met with Durrett who told the officer he had seen two flashlights moving behind his shop.
Johnson traced the lights to Boyd and Johnnie Dennis, who was handling Lynch’s dog during the hunt.
The men reportedly told the deputy they could no longer hear the dogs baying and were tracking them using a global positioning system device.
The men found the dogs approximately 20 yards apart on Durrett’s property. Both had been shot twice and both were dead.
Attorney Stewart Matthews, who represents Boyd and Lynch, said it’s difficult to imagine the highly-trained tracking dogs chasing horses.
Coon dogs are specifically trained to stay on task, Matthews said.
“They were raised with horses and did not chase other animals,” he said. “If they chase squirrels, for example, points are deducted.”
Matthews also pointed out that AKC hunts aren’t about shooting or killing any animals.
“These are just hunts where the dogs tree the raccoons,” Matthews said. “There were no guns involved and everything is done on a point system.”
The goal of the no-kill hunts is to accumulate points. High point totals can bring big bucks.
“These tournaments can pay $25,000 to $27,000 in prize money or it can be as low as $1,000,” Matthews said.
Coon hunting dogs are also extremely expensive, he said, noting that Boyd’s and Lynch’s dogs were worth between $15,000 to $25,000 each.
“Mr. Boyd’s dog had just won a state championship and Mr. Lynch’s dog had also achieved the same type of success,” Matthews said.
Boyd was hunting with his dog, Texas State Champion Dixie, on the night the dogs were shot. Lynch had hired another hunter to handle his dog, Junk, during the event, Matthew said.
Boyd referred requests for additional comments to Matthews, but in a post on the coon dog hunter site prohound.com, he urged other coon dog enthusiasts to attend the Gainesville trial to show support for the dog owners and for coon hunting.
“It has been three years come May that (Dixie) along with Rick Lynch's dog (Junk) were shot,” Boyd wrote. “It will finally come to trial on Monday, April 11...We would appreciate it if any of you fellow coon hunters could find a way to be at the court room for support of our cause and to show that coon hunting and hounds do have a great following.”
Jury selection was Monday and the trial is expected to get underway today.
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