Saskatchewan teen begged neighbour not to shoot her pet dog, but he did anyway

SASKATOON – A teenaged girl says she begged her neighbour not to shoot her dog on his property in rural Saskatchewan, but he pulled the trigger on his rifle and her pet died in her arms, whimpering and twitching.

Lianne Price, who is 17, testifed Tuesday in a Saskatoon court that Bentley, a St. Bernard, was on the neighbours’ property near St. Denis, about 40 kilometres east of Saskatoon, following their donkey, in April 2013.

Eugene Krawchuk and his wife Laurie are both charged with possession of a firearm without having a licence.

He is also charged with careless use of firearm, killing a dog without lawful excuse and destroying a dog other than in a prescribed manner.

Court heard there was bad blood between the neighbours, and the Prices referred to the Krawchuks as “the crazies.”

Michael Price testified he heard Lianne scream, and heard the crack of a rifle and saw her drop to her knees.

Price said he felt angry and wanted to kill Eugene Krawchuk because he thought he shot his daughter.

When he realized it was Bentley, a St. Bernard, that was shot, Price grabbed Krawchuk by the collar and demanded he apologize to his daughter.

He said Krawchuk stumbled to the ground; when he got up, Price admitted giving him a hard push on the back of the head.

Price is charged with assault. His case is still before the court.

His wife, Fiona, testified that her family had a civil relationship with their neighbours at first, but that certain incidents started making her uncomfortable, such as when their shelterbelt was cut down.

She also testified that Krawchuk would slowly drive by their house and sometimes sit in his truck and watch her daughters play outside.

During cross-examination, the defence pointed out that Lianne told police that the dog was chasing the Krawchuk’s horses. But Lianne said no, Bentley was curious about the donkey but was not harming or attacking it.

Fiona and Lianne both said their playful, 100-pound puppy had never hurt or threatened any animals and rarely wandered.