Uncertain Serenity Irene Kessler Embraced Peacefulness Of Elk Countryside Until The Shooting

Irene Kessler’s family pet was shot in the leg a month ago while in its yard. The dog will probably limp for the rest of its life.

Kessler said Spokane County law enforcement officers are taking the shooting about as seriously as a knocked-over mailbox.

“I’m furious,” said Kessler, who suspects a neighbor she saw with a gun earlier in the day.

“This guy is shooting at my dog,” she said. “He is shooting at my house. What is to stop him from shooting my child?”

The neighbor, Brian Stevens, declined to be interviewed. His wife, Meredith Stevens, said they didn’t mean to shoot the dog, but were just trying to scare it away from the wire fence that separates the properties.

“It looked like it was going to attack our daughter. It was snarling and growling,” said Stevens. “We just meant to scare it.”

No charges have been filed in the case.

Sheriff’s deputies took a report and sent it to the Spokane County District Attorney’s. From there, it was returned to the sheriff for further investigation.

Kathryn Lee, district court team leader, said it can take three or four months for charges to be filed - if they are filed - from the time an incident is reported.

“I’m an animal lover,” said Lee. “I take these cases very seriously. But I have to prioritize. I have vehicular homicides, DUI’s. I have five people to train.

“If it was my dog or cat, I would be livid. I understand how they feel, but the system doesn’t have the flexibility.”

Shooting a gun is not necessarily illegal; it depends on the circumstance, said Lee.

“There is a big difference between saying something is criminal and saying something is stupid,” she said.

In the meantime, Kessler, who moved to Elk from San Francisco, seeking a little elbow room and freedom for her children, is afraid to let her youngsters play outside.

“We planned and saved for seven years to move out here,” she said. “We wanted to be someplace where we don’t have to worry about the kids playing in the backyard. We made a lot of concessions and sacrifices to move here.”

The Kesslers are clearly pet-people. They share their roomy house with several dogs, birds, fish and a cat. Rescued horses graze on the family’s 10-acre parcel in view of the kitchen window.

Their injured dog, Moon, is a long-time family pet, now slowed by arthritis.

“No way on God’s green earth can this dog come even close to his house,” said Kessler.

She said she saw the neighbor with the gun in the morning. The Kessler’s went out on errands. When they returned, Moon had been shot in the leg and was bleeding.

“If (the neighbor) had been contrite - maybe taken care of the dog until we got home - I might feel different,” said Kessler. “But he never even said ‘sorry,’ much less offer to take care of any vet bills,” she said.

Kessler continues to wait for some resolution. The casual attitude toward guns caught her off guard, the nonchalance of the sheriff’s detectives stunned her.

But Kessler said all shootings need to be taken seriously.

“If this is the usual attitude, then I want to do something to change it,” she said.

“Everyone keeps blowing it off,” she said. “Who are they protecting and serving?”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo