A hunter who shot two dogs can avoid six months’ jail time by completing a hunter safety course. A Dane County jury found Kurt Rausch guilty of animal mistreatment in the incident which happened two years ago where one of the dogs died.
Rausch has six months to complete the course. He was legally hunting in a wildlife area near Stoughton when he shot the dogs in January 2016.
The owner was training the dogs at around 6 p.m. that January night for skijoring, a sport where dogs pull a cross-country skier. Both animals wore reflective vests while they were running loose.
Rausch told investigators he thought the husky and mastiff were coyotes and it was an accident. He was found guilty because the dogs he shot don’t look like coyotes, though the incident happened at night.
The owner said she did not want restitution or Rausch to be punished but wanted the Legislature to end hunting at night on public lands.
Dane County judge ordered Rausch to pay a $2,500 fine, and barred him from hunting for six months.
