The bond between a man and his dogs was cut short Sunday morning when Hailey resident Marlin Miller watched a Mackay-area man shoot and kill his two beloved pets.
"He shot 'em up and killed 'em both in front of me. He executed 'em, my two best friends," Miller said through tears on Monday.
Tundra, an 8-year-old wolf-husky-shepherd mix, and Lochsa, a 7-month-old wolf cross, were shot on a private ranch owned by Mackay resident Scott McAffee. One of McAffee's relatives did the shooting, Custer County Sheriff Tim Eikens confirmed.
According to Eikens, the shooting was justified. He said the dogs were chasing cattle on the McAffee property and were killed for their actions.
"The law reads that if you have dogs in with cattle, and they are chasing the cattle, the rancher is justified in using force to protect his cattle," Eikens said.
But Miller disputes that his dogs were chasing any cattle. He said his pets were attracted to the property by a cow carcass that had been lying in the pasture for two months.
"He calculated it," Miller said. "He was waiting for them to come out to that carcass he left in the middle of the field."
Miller's mother, Ilona Miller, surmised that the rancher may have been attempting to bait wolves onto the property and mistakenly thought the two large domesticated wolf-mix dogs were two of the reintroduced predators.
"They were guilty of one thing, being northern-looking dogs, prick ears, proud tails and the approximate height and weight of a wolf," she wrote in a summary of her thoughts.
But Miller, a carpenter who was working on some homes nearby, said his dogs were not chasing cattle. He watched the events unfold and unsuccessfully attempted to call his dogs back from the cow carcass. When the man who shot the animals got in his truck, drove away and then quickly returned, Miller said he understood what was happening.
"I was screaming. He saw me and heard me, and he hadn't even started shooting. He made sure he got done, and he killed them both. He got out and leveled off using the truck bed to steady his rifle. He shot them from about 150 yards away. He kept shooting after they were dead. He kept clicking when he was out of bullets."
Karsten Fostved, a veterinarian with the St. Francis Pet Clinic in Ketchum, examined the dogs after the shooting. Tundra was shot with three bullets, she said. Lochsa was shot with one bullet. Both dogs died quickly.
"They were the type of bullets that once they hit, they shatter," Fostved said. "We took X-rays. On both dogs, there were anywhere from 100 to 200 bullet fragments."
Fostved said Miller was an extremely loving dog owner.
"He was just the most amazingly caring dog owner that I could ever ask. He didn't have a wife. He didn't have kids. He didn't have a girlfriend. He had his dogs. And he took excellent care of them at all times," Fostved said. "They were sweet, kind dogs."
In fact, Miller was working on a book about his dogs. The manuscript, titled "Ghost Eyes has paid in full," reveals the love he had for his pets, Tundra in particular.
"I am dedicating this book to Tundra, who will always be in my heart and mind," the first page reads.
"Tundra loves all human beings, which I, knowing and being a human, don't understand. She only has true affection for some males but loves all females and especially babies. I've seen her lick the faces of many an unsuspecting child in a stroller with so many kisses that the child's laughter and Tundra's pink tongue leave them gasping for air."
Sheriff Eikens said the events of Sunday morning have been reduced to finger pointing.
"It's a he-said-she-said deal, but you have to go by where the animals ended up," he said. "We're still investigating the matter, obviously, but I don't see at this point where any charges will be filed from us.
"It's so difficult when you get into something like this. I wouldn't want my dogs killed. It's not a fun thing."
In at least one case, Miller said Tundra saved his life. In June 2002, Tundra and Miller were charged by an angry bull moose along the Big Wood River, south of Ketchum.
"He must have been going 20 mph when he blew by me and flew after the dog," Miller said.
She was injured in the incident and later had two of her knees replaced.
The pair found their way into local newspapers again in November 2003 when they were charged by a deer on Bitterroot Road in Sun Valley. After chasing a mountain biker from Trail Creek Cabin into town, the deer stalked Miller and Tundra and jumped over the leash connecting them.
Miller's manuscript is a chronological tale of a man and his 8-year canine companion. Miller sketched a quick final chapter on Monday.
"I was crying and screaming, 'why, why, why?' I told Tundra I loved her and went to Lochsa and told him I loved him as well ... As I walked back to my property, I looked back at my entire world that had just been shattered ... They were lying 5 feet apart, facing in the direction of home where they were walking when he cut them down. They didn't know what had hit them, and I don't know which one he shot first."
(Left) Hailey resident Marlin Miller watched Sunday morning as his two dogs were shot and killed on a ranch near Mackay. Tundra, pictured with him in Alaska, was the main character in a manuscript Miller was writing. (Right) Lochsa, a 7-month-old wolf cross, also was killed Sunday on the Mackay ranch. Courtesy photos
