Dear Editor,
My name is Shane, and my beloved dog Rocko was murdered on private property by a rancher in Arizona. I was targeted and terrorized, and now an innocent puppy is dead at the hands of a psychopath pretending to be a respectable American rancher. Most farmers and ranchers utilize dogs to protect their livestock from coyotes, but these monsters knowingly let their cattle get ripped apart by coyotes, leave the bodies to rot, cash in the insurance money, then blame it on pets and shoot them dead without a shred of evidence.
Many others in my community and around the country have had their beloved dogs murdered on their private property, are then intimidated and threatened, told lies about the law and even prevented from filing reports or charges by local law enforcement. This systemic terrorism, in the name of protecting cattle. Cattle that the ranchers show their concern for by leaving them to graze upon dry desert without shade in 110-degree summers, and leave newborn baby cows unprotected against the threat of the armies of coyotes … when they drop dead from lack of nourishment or are eaten alive by coyotes, their bodies are left to rot, stinking up a wide area, drawing pests and breeding disease.
Did I mention that these ranchers operate illegally without license from the USDA? They have become so confident in the corrupt system they’ve built on a family name, believing the law cannot touch them. So confident, that their hired dog executioner, in broad daylight, in a populated neighborhood, jumped a fence and shot an innocent dog on private property, claiming him to have killed a calf without any proof, and claiming that coyotes are not a threat to their cattle despite countless documented cases of calves being killed by them. This one man alone has killed more than 10 dogs in the past year.
Local police dispatch have blocked us all from filing police reports and lied about the law in the attempt to protect serial killers posing as respectable citizens. This fundraiser aims to raise funds for legal representation and raise awareness about terrorism happening right here in America, something that most people outside of cattle country have truly no idea is happening. This despicable savagery has been swept under the rug for too long and the death of Rocko will serve as the tipping point to create change that will guide the future of this nation.
We will honor all dogs who have been wrongfully killed and robbed of long, happy lives. Through upcoming landmark civil & criminal cases, we will redefine that pets are not merely “personal property” but intelligent, sentient members of the family, and that killing a pet is an act of murder. Justice for Rocko!
Shane Lewthwaite
As a rancher and a person who was present during these allegations, and witnessed these dogs running cattle all over the ranch, attacking cattle and calves, as well as chickens and other livestock; I find it disturbing that this person is blatantly lying to try and collect funds for himself. What a scam.
The rancher that had to dispatch your dog was called by the neighbors because they were attacking cattle on my property. This person has been asked several times over the year to keep his 5 dogs fenced on his property and has refused to comply stating that “if we want his dogs fenced, the neighbors would need to pay for it”. So before you all decide to fund this person, get the facts. The real threat is him to our community and our pets.