Hunter faces hostility

Killed “by accident”: mourning for dog “Bailey”

Alina P. was walking "Bailey" when the animal was shot.(Bild: zVg)

A family in Upper Styria mourns the loss of their beloved dog. "Bailey," who even wore a reflective vest, was accidentally shot by a hunter in the Mürztal valley. The "Krone" spoke with the owners, who lost a "magical creature," and with the hunter, who is now facing a wave of hatred.

It was only a short time ago that a dog in Upper Austria was allegedly mistaken for a fox and shot – now a family in Upper Styria is mourning the loss of their beloved four-year-old family member for the same reason. "My son brought me 'Bailey' just when I was in very poor health," says the owner, crying.

"An enchanting creature" 
"And she really did change my life. Bailey was so loving, so sensitive. An enchanting creature." She adds: "I have five children – my dog was my sixth. That's how important she was to all of us."

But now the beloved animal treasure is dead. Shot by a hunter. After an evening walk.

Bailey, pictured here with her doggy friend and Alina P. on vacation, was the beloved center of the family.(Bild: zVg)

"The hunter must have seen us."
"As so often, we were out walking with her, my own dog, and one of our horses," says Alina P., the girlfriend of the owner's son. "Bailey was wearing a reflective vest, was on a leash, and we were lighting everything up with flashlights." The raised hide is about 300 meters from the Styrian woman's small farm. And: "The hunter definitely saw us."

First I heard a shot, then the cry of an animal, then a second shot.

Alina P.

When they returned to the farm, "Bailey" was let off the leash – and she must have run back to the raised hide. This was because a so-called "bait site" with meat bait had been set up there specifically to attract foxes so that they could be killed because of the mange that was prevalent there; the dog was naturally attracted to this. He paid for this with his life.

"First I heard a shot, then the cry of one animal, then the second," Alina recounts, completely shaken. "Then the hunter came up to me and told me everything."

Wave of hatred against hunters
"I mistook the dog for a fox," he tells the "Krone" newspaper. A large, white dog? With a collar and a safety vest? "You can't see something like that in the dark, everything is dark." He himself seems very affected: "For me, this is a nightmare, an absolute horror, I'm totally devastated. I was 100 percent sure it was a fox, I would never have shot a dog, even if it was running loose! I love pets." Now he is also being bombarded with a wave of hatred "from complete strangers."

The grieving family: "We want to warn people: this happened right next to a popular hiking trail where children also play. How can something like this happen?" The hunter has reported himself to the police.