Dog Groomer’s Husband Shoots and Kills 4 Dogs in Wife’s Care

A dog's paws. (Engin_Akyurt/Pixabay)

The husband of a dog groomer has been charged with the felony of harm to companion animals for shooting and killing four of her client’s dogs, including a therapy pet, at their home in Ohio on June 2.

Philip Taylor, 54, has been released from jail after appearing in court on June 3. He was ordered to not have contact with his wife and surrender his firearms, according to 13ABC.

Theresa Taylor and her husband Philip, were dog-sitting four dogs in their Williams County, Ohio home that weekend, according to the news outlet. Theresa said when she got home, her husband threatened to kill her, so she left.

“He just kept texting me and telling me that he was killing my dogs and if I wanted to save them I'd have to come back and let him take me,” Theresa said via 13ABC.

Philip then shot and killed four of the dogs in their care—Princess, Topaz, Skylar, and Lily. Lily was a therapy dog for one of Theresa’s clients who was injured in a car accident.

“My wife was just... the compassion I felt for my wife was just unbelievable. She was really upset,” Randy Beck, Lily’s owner, told 13ABC.

“She was like bigger than life here. Even though she was like this big she was bigger than life here,” Theresa said of the Beck’s dog, Lily.

Beck said he wishes he knew about Taylor’s situation before bringing his dog into their home.

“I wish she would have come and said ‘Hey I’m having personal problems, maybe don’t bring the dog in for grooming.’ Had she done that we wouldn’t have brought Lily in and she'd be alive today,” Beck told the news outlet.

Theresa, who owns a brick-and-mortar dog grooming business in Archbold, Ohio, wrote about the incident in a Facebook post: “The dogs at my house have been murdered by my Now EXhusband and I lost 4 of the most precious little soles (sic) in the world.”

Theresa said that it’s difficult for her to cope with the tragedy but she’s back to work at her dog salon trying to move on.

“My world is broken but today I will start a new life. And I am taking all of you with me. If I didn’t get to your message last night. This is your return message. Everything at the salon is normal,” she wrote in a Facebook post on June 3.

Theresa told 13ABC that she and Philip have had problems in the past but never this severe.

Dog Euthanized to be Buried with Dead Owner

A healthy Shih Tzu in Richmond, Virginia, was recently euthanized after the late owner had instructed that her pet be laid to rest by her side when she dies, according to her will, WWBT reported.

After her late owner’s passing, Emma was taken to Chesterfield County Animal Shelter on March 8, where she stayed for about two weeks.

The shelter staff tried to convince the late owners’ estate executor to not euthanize Emma and instead put her up for adoption.

“We did suggest they could sign the dog over on numerous occasions, because it’s a dog we could easily find a home for and re-home,” Carrie Jones, manager of Chesterfield Animal Services told WWBT. “Ultimately, they came back in on March 22 and redeemed the dog.”

Emma was then taken to a vet and euthanized. Her remains were cremated, placed in an urn, and taken to her late owner’s grave, as instructed in the will, the news outlet reported.

“This is kind of a failure on a couple parties’ parts,” Amanda Howell, staff attorney with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, told CBS News. “First, there’s the person who is deceased, the owner.”

Howell said the executor of the will and the veterinarian who put down Emma are also to be blamed.

“This is an example of a completely needless killing of a healthy dog. Emma could still be around, living a happy life, bonding with a family,” Howell told the news outlet. “Moving away from treating animals like property is a really big step for ensuring these types of provisions in wills are not enforced.”

“[Pets] are individuals, they’re not your CD collection,” Howell said via CBS News.