MATAISTORY

TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FELLOW LOVERS OF ANIMALS, I NEED YOUR HELP AND ADVICE. TO ANYONE WHO TRULY KNOWS ME, YOU KNOW THAT THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, OTHER THAN MY HUSBAND, ARE MY BABIES. I HAVE NO KIDS BUT MY DOGS FILL THAT SPOT. A HEINOUS ACT OF VIOLENCE HAS BEEN COMMITTED AGAINST ONE OF MY CHILDREN. MY GERMAN SHEPHERD WAS SHOT POINT BLANK RANGE IN THE FACE BY THE #%^@$^%^ MONSTER WHO LIVES BEHIND ME. HER FACE WAS BLOWN APART.

WE HAVE LIVED IN THIS HOME NOW FOR A YEAR. WE ARE IN THE COUNTY IN A RURAL AREA WHERE DOGS ROAM FREE UP AND DOWN THE STREETS, FREE TO BE HIT BY CARS AND TEAR OUR TRASH ACROSS OUR ROADS AND ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS. THERE ARE NO LEASH LAWS AND NO ONE PREVENTS THESE STRAYS FROM EATING OUR FLOWERS AND OUTSIDE CHAIR CUSHIONS. I TELL YOU THESE THINGS FOR A REASON. WHEN WE MOVED IN THIS HOME OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS TO PUT UP A SECURE CHAINED LINK FENCE. WE CEMENTED THE POST AND BURIED THE BOTTOM OF THE FENCE WITH POST THROUGH THEM TO PREVENT ANY DIGGING IN OR OUT, (I FEARED MALE DOG�S DIGGING IN BECAUSE I HAVE FEMALES WHO ARE NOT SPAYED).

BACK IN MARCH, I HAD A VERY NASTY RUN IN WITH THE MAN WHO LIVES BEHIND ME. WE KNOW ALL OF OUR OTHER NEIGHBORS, AND HAD NEVER MET THE MAN WHO�S PROPERTY BACKS UP TO THE BACK OF OURS. ONE AFTERNOON I WAS SITTING IN MY HOUSE WHEN I HEARD MY DOGS BARKING. I GOT UP TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I OPENED MY BACK DOOR AND STEPPED OUT ON TO MY DECK, WHICH IS ALSO ENCLOSED IN THE BACK YARD, TO FIND TWO OLD FARTS AT MY BACK FENCE. THE DOGS WERE RAISING CAIN AT THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE ON OUR PROPERTY. I SAID "EXCUSE ME, IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN HELP YOU WITH." A BARRAGE OF INSULTS AND THREATS HIT ME. THIS MAN TOLD ME MY DOGS BARKED ALL NIGHT AND KEPT HIM AWAKE. I TRIED TO TELL HIM MY DOGS CAME IN BY 11 AND WENT TO BED WHEN WE DID AND DID NOT GO BACK OUT TILL MORNING WHEN WE WENT TO WORK. HE CALLED ME A LIAR AND SWORE IT WAS MY DOGS. HE TOLD ME THEY HAD BEEN OUT TEARING UP HIS TRASH AND PEEING ON HIS TIRES. I TOLD HIM MY DOGS HAD NEVER BEEN OUT OF MY FENCE OTHER THAN ON A LEASH WITH ME WALKING THEM AND MY DOGS WERE FEMALE THEY COULD NOT HIKE THEIR LEGS ON HIS TIRES. ONCE AGAIN I WAS HIT WITH NAME CALLING AND SO ON. I TOLD HIM TO STEP AWAY FROM MY FENCE AND GO HOME AND MY DOGS WOULD STOP BARKING AT HIM BUT I WOULD NOT STAND HERE AND LISTEN TO HIM ANYMORE. THEN HE STOPPED ME COLD IN MY TRACKS WHEN HE THREATENED TO KILL MY DOGS. HE SAID AROUND HERE WE KILL DOGS LIKE THAT. THAT I HAD BETTER KEEP THEM OFF HIS PROPERTY AND KEEP THEM QUITE OR I WOULD FIND THEM ALL DEAD. AT THAT POINT IN TIME I BROUGHT IN MY DOGS AND WENT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. I FELT THAT IF THIS MAN WAS GOING TO THREATEN ME OUT RIGHT, THAT HE WAS CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO IT. I WAS DIRECTED TO A DETECTIVE TO TAKE A POLICE REPORT. THE DETECTIVE WAS VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT MAKING A POLICE REPORT ABOUT A THREAT TO DOGS. HE TOLD ME HE HAD MURDER AND RAPE CASES TO DEAL WITH AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TILL HE ACTUALLY KILLED THEM AND IT WAS POINTLESS TO MAKE A REPORT AGAINST HIM. I ANGERED THE DETECTIVE WHEN I FORCED THE ISSUE AND MADE HIM MAKE A REPORT. WHICH HE DID HAP HAZARDLY AND BARELY WROTE DOWN ANYTHING I TOLD HIM OTHER THAN THIS MAN THREATENED MY DOGS.

DERRICK AND I KEPT THE DOGS IN SIDE FOR THE MOST PART, ONLY LETTING THEM OUT WHEN WE COULD BE THERE. 2 WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT WITH THIS MAN, HE WAS BACK AT MY FENCE. I TOLD HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM ME AND MY DOGS AND I HAD FILED A POLICE REPORT. I FELT BAD FOR MY DOGS HAVING TO BE KEPT INSIDE. THEY DID NOTHING AND WERE BEING PUNISHED. WE HAVE A 10 FOOT KENNEL INSIDE OUR CHAIN LINKED FENCE, SO WE PUT TARPS ALL THE WAY AROUND IT SO HE COULD NOT SEE THEM AND COULD NOT POISON THEM. WE KEPT MATAI IN THERE WHEN WE WERE GONE TO WORK. IT HAD BEEN MONTHS AND HAVE NOT SEEN HIM OR HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH HIM. THAT WAS UNTIL SATURDAY THE 5TH OF JULY.

I CAME HOME FROM WORK AROUND 4 THAT DAY. I PULLED UP IN THE DRIVEWAY OPENED MY DOOR AND SAW MATAI WALKING UP TO ME. I WAS STARTLED TO SEE HER BECAUSE SHE HAS NEVER BEEN OUT. I WENT TO START FUSSING AT HER, BUT THEN I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW HER FACE. HER WHOLE RIGHT SIDE OF HER FACE WAS BLOWN APART. A QUARTER INCH FROM HER NOSE BACK TO HER EAR WAS HANGING IN SHREDS. THERE WAS A MASSIVE HOLE BLOWN OUT THE BACK OF HER NECK. SHE WAS COVERED IN SO MUCH BLOOD I COULD HARDLY RECOGNIZE MY ONCE BEAUTIFUL GIRL. I GRABBED MY PHONE AND STARTED MAKING PHONE CALLS AND COULD FIND NO ONE TO HELP, MY MOM FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF A VET AND WE WENT TEARING DOWN THE ROAD AT BREAK NECK SPEEDS. I WAS DRIVING AND HOLDING HER FACE ON WITH A TOWEL.

THE VET SAID SHE SHOULD BE DEAD. PURE LOVE HAD KEPT HER ALIVE. SHE HAD LOST SO MUCH BLOOD THAT HER HEART SHOULD NOT BE BEATING. HER LIP WAS IN A COUPLE OF PARTS. HER TEETH ON THAT SIDE BLOWN TO PIECES, HER GUMS SHREDDED, THE ROOF OF HER MOUTH BLOWN OPEN, HER JAW SHATTERED, HOLE BLOWN OUT THE BACK OF HER NECK UNDER HER EAR. MUSCLE DAMAGE AND BONE FRAGMENTS AND TEETH PIECE BLOWN OUT OF THE BACK SIDE OF HER HEAD. BUT FOR SOME REASON MY DOG WAS STILL ALIVE. SHE HAD BEEN LYING THERE BLEEDING SINCE NOON. I FELT LIKE I HAD TO FIGHT FOR HER SINCE SHE HAD FOUGHT SO HARD TO STAY ALIVE. WE STAYED WITH HER TILL MIDNIGHT THAT NIGHT AND THEY KEPT HER THERE WITH TUBES RUNNING IN AND OUT OF HER.

WE GOT UP THE NEXT MORNING AND WENT TO SEE IF ANYBODY KNEW ANYTHING. I TOLD DERRICK WHO DID IT AND THAT IF HE WAS CRAZY ENOUGH TO TELL ME HE WAS GOING TO DO IT, HE WOULD ADMIT IT IF WE ASKED. WE DROVE OVER THERE AND KNOCKED ON HIS DOOR. HE WALKED OUT AND DERRICK TOLD HIM OUR DOG WAS SHOT AND WE WERE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPEN. HE SAID YEAH I SHOT HER, I TOLD YOUR WIFE I WAS GOING TO SHOOT HER. HE SAID I CALLED THE COPS SO YOU CAN TAKE IT UP WITH THEM SINCE YOU LIKE TO HANDLE THINGS THAT WAY. HE HAD THIS SMUG LOOK AND THEN GRIN ON HIS FACE AND I WANTED TO KILL HIM. I WENT AFTER HIM AND DERRICK PUT ME IN THE CAR.

WE DROVE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WERE TOLD WE NEEDED TO COME BACK ON MONDAY AND TALK TO SOMEONE. I WENT ON MONDAY AND PICKED UP A COPY OF MY POLICE REPORT AND THE ONE THE OFFICER MADE ON SATURDAY WHEN HE CAME OUT. THIS MAN SAID HE WAS OUT IN HIS YARD ON THE BACK ACREAGE WHEN MATAI CAME RUNNING UP TO HIM GROWLING AND BARKING AND HE WALKED TO HIS HOUSE. HE GOT HIS SHOTGUN AND CAME BACK OUTSIDE AND DIDN'T SEE HER. THEN SHE CAME BACK AT HIM AND HE SHOT HER. HE SAID SHE LAID THERE BLEEDING THEN GOT UP AND CRAWLED BACK TO MY HOUSE. THE REPORT SAID HE SHOWED THE OFFICER WHERE HE SHOT HER AND THE OFFICER CAME OVER TO MY HOUSE. SAW MY DOG LAYING UNDER MY JEEP WITH HER FACE BLOWN OFF AND BLEEDING TO DEATH. SAID SHE BARKED AT HIM AND HE LEFT.
FIRST, MY DOG COULD NOT HAVE BARKED IF SHE WANTED TO. THE BOTTOM PART OF HER JAW WAS SHATTERED AND HANGING ABOUT 5 INCHES TO THE LEFT.

HOW DID SHE ESCAPE? SHE COULDN�T HAVE. SOMEONE HAD TO LET HER OUT. IF A DOG WAS GROWLING AT YOU AND YOU FELT THREATENED WOULD YOU CALL ANIMAL CONTROL? ONCE YOU WERE IN YOUR HOME GETTING YOUR GUN, YOU WERE NOT THREATENED ANYMORE. WOULD YOU LET A VICIOUS DOG COME RIGHT UP TO YOU AND PUT YOUR GUN ON HER FACE THEN PULL THE TRIGGER? WAS IT ANIMAL CRUELTY FOR LETTING HER JUST LAY THERE AND BLEED? A COP THAT COMES TO MY HOUSE SEES HER BLEEDING TO DEATH AND JUST LEAVES HER THERE AND CALLS NO ONE? NOT EVEN A NOTE ON MY DOOR? WHAT IF SHE COULD NOT HAVE GOT UP TO COME TO ME? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS, AND NO ANSWERS.

MY DOGS ARE NOT MEAN IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. THEY ARE MY KIDS. THEY LOVE EVERYBODY. SHE WOULD NOT ATTACK ANYTHING BUT A BOWL OF FOOD. I HAVE TALKED TO EVERYONE I CAN AND NOBODY WANTS TO HELP. I HAVE TALKED TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY, POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND OTHERS AND I AM GETTING NO HELP. THERE IS A LOT MORE DETAILS THAT I HAVE LEFT OUT, BUT THIS IS LONG ENOUGH.

I WANT ALL YOUR PRAYERS THAT ONE DAY SHE WILL COME HOME AND SLEEP NEXT TO ME AGAIN, BUT I WANT ANY HELP ANYBODY HAS TO OFFER. ANY SUGGESTIONS? ANYBODY YOU KNOW THAT I CAN CALL TO HELP OR GIVE ME INFO? ANY LAWYERS WITH A LOVE OF ANIMALS THAT MIGHT BE WILLING TO TAKE A CASE PRO-BONO? WE ARE $2000.00 IN VET BILLS AND I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SELL TO PAY FOR THEM, SO COMING UP WITH MONEY FOR A LAWYER IS NOT POSSIBLE. IF YOU CAN FORWARD THIS TO SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHORTEN IF NEED BE. ANY HELP ANYONE CAN GIVE OR ANY SUGGESTIONS ANYONE COULD MAKE WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. THANKS FOR ANY HELP.

DERRICK, MISTY AND MATAI

MATAI'S STORY