According to the Family behind the new Facebook page Justice For Ruby, on August 21st the Powers family went over to Yankton for Riverboat Days. Apparently while they were gone their Three dogs had broken out of their yard and gotten loose. According to the Family they came home to find one of their dogs missing, after searching for their missing dog overnight they came to learn that the Mayor of Avon Mike Petrik had shot and killed their dog.
“We got home and noticed the dogs were out of the cage we seen Maggie and ol red but not ruby, we went around the town looking for her. We posted on the fyi pages here in Avon and no one had heard or seen her. The next morning Mat ran into the Sheriff and he said he has not seen her also, an hour or so later the same Sheriff was upset because he wanted to come over and tell us in person that Ruby was shot in our yard by the Mayor of Avon.” According to a post on their Facebook page.
Allegedly the Dog was being aggressive with him and others in Town the Mayor said. According to the Sheriff’s office, the Mayor had burned the dogs body after shooting her. There are a lot of unanswered questions to this story. One has to wonder why he never called the local Sheriff and chose to be a vigilante in this situation?
Below are some graphic images shared showing the scene of the crime.
“She was our best friend and was the most loyal dog we have ever had. Love you always and forever Ruby!!” They had written on a Facebook post this morning.
The family has said they plan to speak with an Attorney and will be trying to file charges. To learn more or support the family in their search for Truth check out their Facebook page Justice for Ruby.
Update from the couple’s Facebook page. Apparently the dog was not burned and the body was returned to them today.
The Hedgehog Watchdog 
There’s two sides to every story, and the side I’ve heard, sounds like the dogs were left alone for 2 days while the owner went to riverboat days & they got out of their enclosure/off their chain and were loose for an extended period of time before this happened.
I’ve heard reports that the (unlicensed) dogs were running amok in the town, and were chasing people’s children and circling a vehicle with people in it not letting them get out, lunging at people, growling, etc.
I have 6 dogs, two are pit mixes & one is a Malinois. I love the breeds but I also understand that they are extremely strong and driven animals that are capable of doing a lot of damage if they decide to use their teeth. I’ve worked with dogs professionally for half my life….and I truly don’t doubt they were friendly with your family in the house, etc. Mine are as well. But when you have dogs running loose together, pack mentality kicks in no matter how “friendly” they are, they are also animals with very powerful drives and genetic instincts. If they were indeed left alone, perhaps they were hungry? Perhaps they were revved up from chasing prey animals. Maybe there was a territorial aspect happening. A dog’s behavior can change dramatically when they are running in a pack, unsupervised, and around people other than their owners. Read any dog attack story in the media and it is ALWAYS someone’s loose “sweet family pet” who ends up mauling the neighbors kid or something.
The owner is attacking the mayor all over social media…. and I do understand being upset about it…. but has he stopped to think about where HIS responsibility as a dog owner lies? Why was HIS DOG running loose in town for an extended period of time and why didn’t HE take steps to prevent that?
I highly doubt the mayor woke up that morning and thought to himself “golly gee imma gonna go shoot that guy’s dog, for no reason, because I can!” Obviously, someone perceived the dog as a threat based on its behavior, and rather than risk someone getting severely injured, he took steps to defend the neighborhood from a potentially dangerous dog.
If I mistakenly allowed one of my dogs to get loose and say they started chasing the neighbors cows or something, and the neighbor killed my dog, I would be very upset too, but mostly AT MYSELF for not taking better care of my dog.
The owner might not appreciate what I’ve said, might be pissed off at me and that’s fine, but I’m just saying I’ve heard a very different side of the story than what’s being presented on social media, and it might behoove them to stop and think about the situation a little more. 🤷🏻♀️
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