Dog’s Death at Hands of Deputy Leads to Probe

When he comes home from a rough day at work, Mark Hughes still sometimes forgets that Sid, the most loyal companion he ever had, is no longer there waiting.

He still recalls the times when he and his 105-pound pooch, a Doberman pinscher-Rottweiler mix, idled through the Conejo Valley together in the cab of his pickup truck.

And he will never forget the morning at the Agoura Animal Shelter when, after learning that Sid had been killed by a blast from a sheriff’s deputy’s shotgun, he wrapped his old pal in a blanket and drove him home in that truck before burying him in the yard.

Hughes has filed a complaint against Deputy Mike Beckett, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding Sid’s death on June 29 to determine if Beckett was justified in shooting the 9-year-old dog. Members of the Hughes family and some of their neighbors also asked the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday to make sure such a tragedy never happens again.

Beckett was called out to Hughes’ neighborhood with animal control officers after reports that Sid and a Rottweiler named Zeus, the family’s other dog, were running wild in the streets. According to the Sheriff’s Department, Beckett said Sid lunged at him and he had no choice but to fire his shotgun in self-defense. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

But the Hughes family and some of their neighbors disagree. They are outraged that police saw fit to shoot Sid, who had returned to the Hughes yard along with Zeus and was no longer roaming the neighborhood.

“There was just no reason for it,” said Mark Hughes, 26. “You’re telling me grown men can’t catch a dog? My dog didn’t bite anyone. He didn’t do anything.

Police and animal control officers “said they were afraid the dogs would jump out of the yard, and they were barking at them,” he added. “Well, I don’t know of any good dog that isn’t going to bark when strange people are entering his property at 3 o’clock in the morning.”

Hughes said he considered legal action, but decided not to pursue that after learning that all he could do was probably obtain money as compensation for his grief.

“I’m not out for money,” Hughes said. “I just want justice for my dog, and I don’t want this to happen to anybody else in town.”

Cmdr. Kathy Kemp of the East Valley sheriff’s station, which oversees Thousand Oaks, said she understands the family’s frustrations. She said the shooting, which she called unusual, is being taken seriously.

“Any time you have an incident where deadly force is used, we’re going to review that to make sure, ‘Was it absolutely necessary? Did the circumstances leave the officer with no option?’ Those are appropriate concerns,” Kemp said.

“Mrs. Hughes and some of her neighbors, those people obviously did not feel this was the case with this shooting,” she added. “We’re going to have to make a determination here. But these things clearly do not happen often.”

Sid and Zeus apparently escaped through the backyard gate in the early-morning hours of June 29. A repairman has admitted that he left the gate open earlier, said Hughes, who was at his fiancee’s house at the time.

Neighbors called police shortly afterward, saying two large dogs were barking and running in the streets, and Beckett arrived with officers of the Agoura Animal Shelter, which handles Thousand Oaks animal control needs on a contract basis. Animal control officials could not be reached for comment.

Although the dogs were in the Hughes frontyard, the authorities determined that they could still escape by jumping the surrounding fence, and they decided to take the animals in, according to sheriff’s officials. With some struggle, they were able to corral Zeus by using a pole with a restraint at the end, but Sid bit the pole and refused to come out.

Beckett then entered the yard to extract the dog. When it charged toward him, he fired his shotgun, spraying buckshot into the corner panel of Hughes’ pickup, but missing Sid, sheriff’s officials said. When the dog charged at him once more, Beckett fired again, this time hitting Sid in the chest. Beckett then fired once more to put the dog to rest, officials said.

Hughes’ sister Paula said the family has received numerous calls from residents who are outraged by what happened to their pet.

Two have even offered puppies, but the family turned one down after learning that it was, like Sid, a Doberman-Rottweiler mix.

No dog could replace Sid, she said.

“Why didn’t animal control call for backup?” she said. “Aren’t they trained to deal with these situations? I’d like to know the answers to these questions.”