Andrea Rosebrock 
Update 2/9/09 – Justice for Raley and Hoochie? PETITION
SEE UPDATE – 7/29/08 – Charges to be Filed in Orlando Dog Shooting – VIDEO
The day that Christopher Comins brutally shot Chris Butler’s two huskies was just a normal day to start with. But when Chris Butler was out walking Raley and Hoochie on Monday, May 19, they got away from him and shortly thereafter the nightmare began.
He searched for Raley and Hoochie on foot then went home and got his car to track them down. When he found them, they we in a neighboring field near some cows. They were being playful and curious as dogs can be, not chasing the cows as some initially reported. This is backed up by the video you can view below.The cows were not intimidated, running away, clustered in a tight group or showing any indications of fear.
Now, I will say that I do agree that people should have a right to protect their animals, whether it be pets or livestock, from attack. And yes, police did report that some of the witnesses did say that they thought the huskies initially were wolves. But the thing here is that the witnesses were quite a distance away, the shooter was within yards of the dogs. It’s hard to mistake two playful huskies for wolves and harder to mistake playing dogs for attacking dogs.
From what I saw Christopher Comins cruelly and maliciously gunned the dogs down. One of the dogs was just sitting there, the other was trying to escape, to run toward Butler who was screaming for Comins to stop shooting.
Comins looked at Butler and continued to shoot… again and again, even when the dogs were down.
“I was running toward him and screaming, ‘Please stop shooting my dogs,’” Butler said. “He knew they were my dogs. And the last shot you can see is he is walking toward me and I’m speaking to him and saying, ‘Please stop shooting them.’ And he turned around and shot them again.”
Butler said the neighbor shot one of his dogs four times.
“He just wanted to kill them,” Butler said. “That is what it boils down to. He just wanted to shoot them.”
Butler said the dogs were harmless and would not have hurt anyone.
“The dogs shouldn’t have been there, I know,” Butler said. “I know they shouldn’t have been there. But he didn’t have to shoot them. They wouldn’t hurt a fly. They wouldn’t hurt anybody. They wouldn’t hurt the cows. They were just curious and anybody who has huskies will tell you they are the most beautiful, beautiful dogs.” (Local 6)
Authorities didn’t file charges because property owners have the right to protect their animals and that’s what Comins said he was doing on the behest of the property owner. He said “he fired two warning shots at the dogs and claims the dogs tried to attack him.”
Comins does not own the land. The cows are owned by one person and the land by yet another. Pretty convoluted situation to start with.
At the time it was basically one person’s word against another but now a video has come to light showing exactly what happened. It’s been enough to cause authorities to reopen the investigation and from what I can see, it sure doesn’t back up Comins’ claims.
It’s a fact that the dogs should not have been loose, even Chris Butler agrees but for Comins to shoot and continue to shoot, again and again, even when one dog was down and the other running away, even when Butler was screaming, makes no sense.
Also it seems Comins has a bit of a history when it comes to irresponsible and possibly even illegal gun use. Seems there was a felony arrest in his past regarding gun use/abuse – see more HERE
And the cold callous disregard after the shooting, OMG! Comins just walked away as Bulter was frantically trying to help his dogs. He showed no concern or consideration at all!!
You can watch the video for yourself. It’s not graphic. It was shot from far enough away that you can tell what’s happening, you can hear the shooting and some yelping from the dogs, but you don’t see the details. Don’t watch if you are sensitive!!
I, like many others, hope that law enforcement will see what we all do. This was an unwarranted and vicious attack by an armed gunman against two innocent pet dogs while many witnesses and their owner watched in horror.
If you agree after you see for yourself, then join with us and sign the petition calling felony charges to be brought against Christopher Comins for his cruel and cowardly act!
Luckily, both dogs did survive the shooting. Of the approximately nine shots fired, Hoochie was hit three times, losing an eye, and Raley was hit four times.
this person needs to fry
I have not heard any answer as to why this lunatic did not call animal control. Additionally, huskies are easily identified from “wolves”.
This man is obviously nuts. How his multiple discharges of a firearm with proximity to the public was not seen as a danger seems directly related to his business partnership to the Mayor. Legally, if the dogs caused any harm to the cattle the owner would be responsible. the owner was present and identified himself prior to the shooting. This was not within the guidelines of protection. This is a malicious action that, if unpunished, will lead to violence and riskier behavior by individuals “protecting themselves”. We will all look back at this event as a flash point to show a disregard for public safety and common sense. The rancher’s investment was protected by other legal recourse, if in fact, they were ever in danger to begin with. Strict liability is written to avoid this kind of personal justice. Shame on Orlando.
I’m so glad that woman got the video of this. That man is clearly a danger and shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun. He should be severely punished.
Anyone could have seen that there was no threat to the cows. The cows would have reacted much differently if they were being attacked by wolves.
I would be happy to sign the petition.Christopher Comins deserves to be put in prison for this inhumane act.Those dogs were not doing anything wrong.Christopher was just taking his frustration out on the dogs.Only a sick and disturbed person could do such a thing.
I watched the video and Its very disturbing.Put that lunitic in prison.If he gets away with this . I can only imagine what he could do next.By what I seen in the video,this is a crazed lunitic.
Thank you Deanna for posting this article and petition. As an owner of a husky and a longtime volunteer and wolf conservationist I am tired of the lazy and ignorant excuses people use to go trigger happy when it suits them. This jerk needs to pay!
I definitely agree with all of you. What Comins did was unconscionable and totally uncalled for! Looked to me like he was longing for the old Wild West…. maybe he deserves some old Wild West justice!!
This story video and all has me in some conflict… On one hand I am a proud owner of three black labs… All of which do enjoy “Playing with” cattle… On the other hand I am also a proud property owner… As stated, my labs do enjoy playing with cattle… What you see in this video IS NOT the huskies playing with the cattle… The huskies have the cattle encircled forcing the larger stronger cows to the outside and the smaller/weaker of the herd to the center, a signal that there is some mischief going on here and is not as innocent as reported… I do not however condone the handling of Comins in shooting as he did… I do believe though these dogs needed to be shot, they were posing a threat to the cattle and could/would have killed one if given a chance… Huskies are the closest to the Wolf in looking at the lineage of dogs and transcendence of the K-9… I believe the dogs should have been given two warning shots (as I believe they were issued) AND THEN given two shots, one each shot to kill, not to injure but to put down humanly or as much as possible… I live in the heart of cattle country… If these were my dogs in the video not only would I pay restitution to the owner of the cattle but I would also buy his bullets… Yes I would be upset because Max, Lady and Cocoa are my world however if this was them I believe they would have three shots coming after one or two warning shots…
Listen, I know some may think “my dog would never hurt a fly” but I have news for you dogs by breeding and nature will instinctively act a certain way in a given situation… If you do not know your dogs breeding and what they instinctively do, I suggest you come out of ignorance… Dogs kill when given the opportunity…
In the end do I feel Comins has some lawful action coming? yes I feel he should pay the vet bill since he didnt make the first shot count, and I also have issues with how he handled the shooting… The Irish folks shooting this video could have been shot when he shot for the 8th time strait at the camera… Also you hear a ricochet… This man should be put up on charges of reckless endangerment toward the public crowd watching… Also though restitution needs to be issued to the owners of the cattle should any be injured as I believe one calf was… Dont think me cold hearted, I love dogs. BUT PEOPLE WE MUST AS RESPONSIBLE OWNERS BE HELD RESPONSIBLE OR SIMPLY NOT OWN AN ANIMAL!
Its time for the dog owner to take full responsiblity for the incident.
Had they gotten away and hit by a car would you be vilifying the driver?
NO.
Same thing really.
If you care for your animals you DO NOT LET THEM RUN LOOSE.
If they got away from you, you obviously do not know how to control or possibly handle your animals..
Maybe the owner should have gotten lap dogs.
If you go to wordpress.com and look under this jerks name – you will learn that he owns a business in Orlando and several high profile politians are friends with this sicko. They even go to church together-figure that one out!! I will NOT vote of ANY of these people again. I am so outraged over this it is impossible for me to express how much I want this man to pay for what he did. However with our animal laws….well I just pray every day this piece of trash gets what’s coming to him.
@SCG – You obvously know nothing about huskies. I have two of them and they are the most gentle dogs. You are a complete moron and you deserved to be shot in the face.
@brian moan – Brian, I think you failed to see my point. No matter the breed, dogs must be controlled at all times by the owner… These two dogs were obviously not. To that end they were shot… Yes the shooting was tragic in that two dogs were injured when they should have been killed and had to suffer as they did, my heart goes to the owner to that end. However that owner should have had control over the dogs… Brian, how much do you know of your dogs breed? They may be gentle in your company but all animals can show a personality the owner has never seen before in the right circumstances… The two dogs in this video showed this to the “T”.. Before you start name calling I ask you to think about what you say… To this end you have done no more than appear ever more the Ignorant Nimrod just like the owner in the outlined video… WAKE UP MAN!
@SCG -
Sorry your majesty to have ever doubted your wisdom.
You are the f-ing idiot. I know everything about my dogs
and they would never hurt anything. If you raise your dogs properly they are not a threat to anything. Yes they got away from their owner but this does not give some lunatic a reaon to shot them. So I guess if you have a child and it gets loose and runs into a field I own I guess that gives me the right to shoot them. You are jsut as much of a hillbilly as the a hole shooter and you will all get what you deserve one way or another.
@brian moan – Brian, My friend, I simply try to point out the error in your ways of thinking but I can only lead the horse to water. I think the true error in your thinking has just come out. You humanize the dogs and this is our problem with this issue, I think it touches the core of it. As we humanize dogs they grow beyond a pet, they become another family member (not at all bad). However you wish to attach legal rights to them as a family member would have. You talk of dogs like children as most do in discussing this article. Now as for your tact or lack there of, I think I struck a chord with you. Aside from a slight comparison to children you (BRIAN) have yet to raise one intelligent argument. Let me know when your brain has evolved so we can really have a debate I look forward to it. Now as for the issue at hand, nothing will happen to Chris and if it does it will be because of his reckless endangerment of citizens with a firearm and not because he shot two dogs trespassing, which in some states is legal to shoot people who trespass, I just thought that point should be made. Read a book, the TV is grossly effecting your brain there Brian.
@GK – GK you bring a great point to the discussion with a driver hitting a dog as compared to a shooter. I agree to the fullest and in this particular case the owner should bear responsibility for his animals deeds and not focus so much on the deeds of the shooter (though does in my opinion deserve some reckless endangerment of the public charges to be filed. In the end though it is the owners responsibility for the dogs.
Feel for the dogs, not so much for the owner. Harassment of livestock by even domesticated animals is a shootable offense. It is apparent the owner is not capable of handling these dogs, and it is also extremely arguable that these dogs were harassing the cattle. It may look as they were playing, and perhaps they were, but I think most, if not all of us, know that animals play as practice for the real thing. I’m not saying they were going to attack the cattle, but the argument could be made that they were, and dogs, feral or not, are known to gang up on livestock, whether they be labs, huskies, boxers, etc. The cattle owner has a right to protect his property and his livelihood, though the public nature of this very mis-handled event was poor.
To assume dogs won’t attack, maim, or kill livestock because an owner knows them is immature at best. Dogs have a pack mentality, and will act accordingly on many occassions. If you have not been raised in the country, or the hills (i.e. hillbilly – good one Brian), then you might not ever see the “wild” side of what are/were domesticated pets. It’s unfortunate that this happens, but people are a lot less wary, responsible, and educated about domestic animals than they think.
As for the shooter, it’s hard not to Monday-morning quarterback the episode. He was negligient in his use of the firearm (shooting in the direction of the people), not to mention he was an extremely poor shot. Beyond that, he did nothing wrong according to most state’s laws regarding livestock. I would have attempted to ascertain if these dogs were feral, but it’s difficult not to fear for one’s safety when two 70+ pound dogs are prowling around cattle.
This was an unfortunate event for all involved.
I am the owner of the dogs. You people need to do your homework on Chris Comins. He should be in prison for pointing a laser sighted gun at a kids head.By the way, you will be disappointed to hear, that Mr. Comins is being charged with animal cruelty. He did what he did because he wanted to do it and he loved every minute of it and now his murderous behavior is going to be held up for the world to see.
Scg, get rid of your dogs.You don’t know them and they probably hate you. And Rcp, don’t monday morning quarterback because you are not very good at it.
@Chris Butler – Chris, I have been looking for some follow-up on this and you just made my day!! This incident has haunted me. I wish you all the best and your babies too. Thank you so much for this update and I’ll be looking to hear more. Crossing my fingers that justice will be served!
Deanna
@Chris Butler – Mr. Butler, I wish to thank you for giving me more information to go on. The information on this case has been hard to come by, quality that is aside from a single video and a few eye witnesses. I am sorry what happened to your two dogs as it happened. I do however stand by what I said earlier that chasing cattle as the video shows is a shoot-able offence. However in the manor of which they were shot multiple times from a handgun instead of a single rifle shot was uncalled for. I am not testefying on any more than what I have seen (Video) or read (where ever I can get reliable facts with out twist or slant).
Fact the two dogs were trespassing
Fact the two dogs were not under control at the time of the shooting
Fact they were shot multiple times each
Fact the owner did not run in to get the dogs until several shots were fired
I still insist this whole scenario could have and should have been prevented. Its unfortunate. I refuse to testify an opinion on the priors of the accused since these facts are hard to come by however I can say Im a strong advocate for Gun Rights but more over GUN SAFETY which gun safety comes first. I dont know the circumstances on the individual who was “lazed” and I can not comment further. That is my prospective on the matter. I wish you all a good day, I respect each who has laid down an opinion on this matter.
Mr. Butler please give us an update of your dogs, I would like to know how they are doing. And please keep us up to date on the case as it unfolds, I live 12 hours from Orlando and the key facts are going to be hard to get accurately from here but I am still interested in factual updates.
Respectfully,
Steven
Both my dogs are at home and are healing. Chris Comins shot Hoochie after I looked him in the face and begged him to stop.I have been contacted by Chris Comins ex wife and the father of the boy that was threatened. He has been described to me as a alcoholic,violent,abusive, racist gun obsessed monster. ALWAYS on the lookout for a fight.Road rage incidents, airport security, Orlando magics game. Lives as if the laws do not apply to him. I have been contacted by the most unlikely people and I have yet to hear one decent word about him.
My dogs would never ever harm those cows. If those were elephants my dogs would have behaved the same way and would probably have been trampled to death. They are curious, playful and harmless. I took them off their leads momentarily so they could cool off in the lake and I was daydreaming and they got away from me.
He had absolutely no right to do what he did and his day of reckoning has come. Not only for my dogs but for all the bullying and misery he has put people through, including apparently, his own sons.
To those of you who support him why did he lie in his original statement? He told police he thought they were wolves and that they had attacked him. Then when the video surfaced and the evidence belied his claim he changed his story to “the dogs were trying to get to a calf” No more wolves (with collars). One of my dogs was shot in the back of the neck through his collar.Hoochie has had his eye removed and his leg was fractured and has been operated on. $7000 worth of vet bills. Once he fired those first 2 shots and the dogs took off he should have been done. What in hell was he thinking. He fired 9 times and hit them 6.I am not a vindictive person and I know my dogs should not have been in that field but the people of Orlando should be grateful that the spotlight is on this man because I feel it would just have been a matter of time before he did something worse. And I am certainly not alone in thinking that. Hell, look at his body language in that video. He looked like he wanted to shoot me.
Oh, and by the way, did you see how much interest they showed toward the cattle.He was actually shooting toward them at one stage. Somebody said one of the cattle was injured??? You are the ONLY person that knows about that.Can you imagine the song and dance they would have made about that. When the policew interviewed me 3 weeks later they had no knowledge of any cattle being injured. BECAUSE THEY WEREN’T.
Christopher Comins?? How can people watch that video and try and defend the indefensible. Some people are capable of inexplicable and astonishing acts of brutality. The man in the video is one of those people.
@SCG -
SCG does not know the nature of huskies…
They think differently, like most Nordic breeds.
All I saw was two dogs trying to coax the cattle into running and playing with them.
Besides, Huskies never eat anything bigger than their head.
Chris Butler-
My whole family wishes you and your dogs a long and happy future. Each time I see my dogs I think of your trauma, suffering and pain.
The video of those dogs will haunt me for life, but at the same time it gave me the wisdom to advise my kids about mentally ill & psychotic rednecks like Christopher Comins’ and what all comes with them.
I’m going to be laughing at how people are going to be f***ing with Christopher Comins’ for decades over this.
But hey, if you are a violent, drunken redneck like Christopher Comins’…
You EARN grief: it’s NOT simply given to you.
@Redneck Busters – You know this is the United States of America and there is such a thing as the First Amendment, for that Im not going to rip into you too badly since your allowed to be an ignorant fool and live another day. You speak of what you do not know, understand nor comprehend. The fact of the matter is your an idiot. Your like a city slicker version of the KKK against rednecks…. Im not sure where they signed you up… Dude seriously after you grow a brain and figure out all “rednecks” would take your head off for what you said here I guess thats why you hide behind a computer screen…. Have a good day…
DEANNA I AM AT A LOST FOR WORDS. THIS POS SOB NEEDS TO BE PUT AWAY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE I HOPE THE OWNER OF THE COWS PRESSES CHARGES ON HIM FOR SHOOTING A GUN AROUND HIS COWS. IF THAT WAS MY FIELD & COWS I SURE WOULD. I WOULD HAVE LAUGHED MY ARSE OFF HAD THOSE COWS CHARGED HIS ARSE. THIS POS IS BEYOND HELP & SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO OWN A GUN EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. LUCKY FOR THAT POS I WASN’T THERE BECAUSE THAT GUN WOULD BE IN A MILLION PEICES.
@Chris Butler Dog hunting doesn’t mean killing dogs. But if you want to prosecute in court and win, you need to know that most of the time, giving information to the defense lawyer is not going to help your case. Chris Butler, if you were at all serious about prosecuting you’d need to be careful. Although you think you are just letting the truth be known, the defense lawyers will just twist your words.
That could explain why Comins feels vindicated in shooting the dogs. And he has filed a lawsuit against blog owner Voerhees
Blog: http://publicintellectual.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/barbarian-hillbilly-dog-shooter-christopher-comins/
Lawsuit: http://www.citmedialaw.org/newsletter/2009/week-june-5-2009
This dog killer is sueing.