
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 28, 1995                   TAG: 9506280032
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FATHER SHOOTS THREATENING ROTTWEILER

A Rottweiler was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon by a Roanoke man who said the dog attacked his children and his dog.

Jon Gilley of Cherryhill Road Northwest said he loves animals, but he had to choose the safety of his children first when he heard of the attack and ran outside.

Once outside, he saw a 120- to 130-pound Rottweiler biting the throat of his 70-pound dog.

To escape the Rottweiler, some of his children had climbed on top of his car or inside it, and others had run inside the house, he said.

``I'm sorry it happened,'' Gilley said, ``God knows I love animals; I hate that it happened ... I took what I felt was the appropriate action.''

Five children were at the house when the Rottweiler came into the yard and knocked one of them off a bike, according to Cardean Gilley, Jon Gilley's wife. The chain normally used to keep the dog in its nearby yard was trailing behind the dog, she said.

Once the Rottweiler jumped at the child on the bike, the Gilleys' Labrador-shepherd mix intervened and began fighting with the Rottweiler. The Gilleys' dog was chained and in its yard, Jon Gilley said.

Cardean Gilley said two of the children ran in the house screaming,``Rottweiler, Rottweiler!'' The children had scratches from the dog jumping on them.

She saw her daughter outside screaming for help and was unable to get to her because of the dogs fighting. Carden Gilley said she told the children to get her husband, who then ran outside and shot the Rottweiler.

Jon Gilley said he talked to the owner of the dog, who seemed to understand. The Rottweiler's owner could not be reached for comment.

Police were called to the scene and took away the dead dog. The officers could not be reached for comment.

Cardean Gilley said the little girl whose family owned the Rottweiler saw it being taken away after it was shot. Gilley took the girl inside the house to explain what happened.

``I really feel bad,'' she said, ``The little girl was just crying her eyes out. How do you explain to a little girl that you just shot her dog?''

by CNB