Lakeville man charged in fatal shooting of dog
Neighborhood mourns Walle
A Lakeville man accused of shooting and killing his neighbor’s golden retriever after it wandered into his yard and menaced his chickens is facing criminal charges for the “malicious” killing of a beloved pet described by its owners as the “nicest dog on the planet.”
Mark J. Vasseur, 61, is facing a charge of malicious killing or injuring of a domesticated animal in connection with the fatal shooting of the golden Sunday outside his Susan Lane home, police announced yesterday. Officers responding to the house about 6 p.m. said they met Vasseur, who admitted to shooting the dog because it “attacked him” after “trying to get at his chickens,” according to police.
Pat Bates, 29, said when he and his girlfriend heard five gunshots Sunday night, they immediately worried for their year-old golden retriever, Walle, and their other dog, a yearold German Shepherd named Zeke, both of whom had been out roaming the couple’s 9-acre lot.
“When we heard shots, it just felt wrong,” Bates said. “I was hoping it was just shots in the air to scare him away.”
Walle, Bates said, was “a big goofball, a sweetheart, the nicest dog on the planet,” who was extremely gentle with the couple’s 3-month-old baby boy.
Walle and Zeke, Bates said, were “literally attached at the hip. They were a really funny duo.”
Bates said when he found Walle, the dog had been shot twice.
The outpouring of support from his neighbors, Bates said, has helped him and his girlfriend deal with the devastating loss of their beloved pet.
“The community has been incredible,” he said. “We had no idea that people would come like they have for us. It was a really dark moment. But people brought the light in for us. It was pretty amazing.”
Police say Vasseur will be arraigned in Wareham District Court, though a court date hasn’t been set.