Principal quits after shooting kittens at school

SuzannePjam

Principal quits after shooting kittens at school
Minnesota man says he didn’t want them to suffer; could face charges
Updated: 11:23 p.m. ET Oct 14, 2006

INDUS, Minn. - A school principal has resigned and could face felony firearm charges after he shot and killed two orphaned kittens on school property last month.
Wade Pilloud, who resigned as principal of the K-12 Indus school, 40 miles west of International Falls, said he shot the kittens to spare them from starving to death after their mother was killed in an animal trap.
Pilloud said the shooting, which occurred on school grounds, endangered no one.
"I have bred cats, and I currently own two myself," he wrote Friday in an e-mail to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I am not a cat hater. I did not want the animals to suffer."
The incident happened Sept. 21, and several students still on the grounds for after-school activities heard the shots.
"There were parents who felt, apparently some rather strongly, that there were concerns about the safety of their children," said Joseph Flynn, an attorney for the South Koochiching/Rainy River School District. "The district's position is that safety was not compromised."
John Mastin, acting sheriff in Koochiching County, said Pilloud could be charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor.
County Attorney Jennifer Hasbargen said Friday that the case was under review.
Mastin said the shooting put no one in danger but said Pilloud used "poor discretion and poor timing," especially amid the growing fear of gun violence in schools.
The district put Pilloud on administrative leave after the incident. Flynn said Pilloud agreed to an undisclosed settlement and resigned.

hippiemom

SuzannePjam wrote:

Principal quits after shooting kittens at school
Minnesota man says he didn’t want them to suffer; could face charges
Updated: 11:23 p.m. ET Oct 14, 2006

INDUS, Minn. - A school principal has resigned and could face felony firearm charges after he shot and killed two orphaned kittens on school property last month.
Wade Pilloud, who resigned as principal of the K-12 Indus school, 40 miles west of International Falls, said he shot the kittens to spare them from starving to death after their mother was killed in an animal trap.
Pilloud said the shooting, which occurred on school grounds, endangered no one.
"I have bred cats, and I currently own two myself," he wrote Friday in an e-mail to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I am not a cat hater. I did not want the animals to suffer."
The incident happened Sept. 21, and several students still on the grounds for after-school activities heard the shots.
"There were parents who felt, apparently some rather strongly, that there were concerns about the safety of their children," said Joseph Flynn, an attorney for the South Koochiching/Rainy River School District. "The district's position is that safety was not compromised."
John Mastin, acting sheriff in Koochiching County, said Pilloud could be charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor.
County Attorney Jennifer Hasbargen said Friday that the case was under review.
Mastin said the shooting put no one in danger but said Pilloud used "poor discretion and poor timing," especially amid the growing fear of gun violence in schools.
The district put Pilloud on administrative leave after the incident. Flynn said Pilloud agreed to an undisclosed settlement and resigned.

I don't know where I got the wacky idea that if a creature is starving, you should FEED it, not SHOOT it.

PaperPlates

meow

keeponrockin

You can't make this stuff up.

Gypsy125

SuzannePjam wrote:

Pilloud could be charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor.

What about animal cruelty???

Vedderlution_Baby

Hmm. Didn't want them to suffer...so shoot them so they'll die...or adopt them so they'll live. Choices choices.



Besides, with all the shit thats happened with school shooting in the past months...what the fuck were you thinking?

adam42381

Gypsy125 wrote:

What about animal cruelty???

It's not really cruel if they die instantly from a gunshot is it?

tybird

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

Hmm. Didn't want them to suffer...so shoot them so they'll die...or adopt them so they'll live. Choices choices.



Besides, with all the shit thats happened with school shooting in the past months...what the fuck were you thinking?

I would suspect that these were "feral"...had never had human contact and such. There is really not much that you can do for or with them..they are not considered adoptable....."feral" domestic cats are murder on the local native bird and small wild mammal populations, and they (the cats)should be eliminated humanely.

Before you flame, yes, there is a cat currently resting its head on one of hands.

And here's a nice link explaining a little more about where I am coming from on this issue:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/

Vedderlution_Baby

tybird wrote:

I would suspect that these were "feral"...had never had human contact and such. There is really not much that you can do for or with them..they are not considered adoptable....."feral" domestic cats are murder on the local native bird and small wild mammal populations, and they (the cats)should be eliminated humanely.

Before you flame, yes, there is a cat currently resting its head on one of hands.

And here's a nice link explaining a little more about where I am coming from on this issue:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/

Fair enough. But it was still stupid to shoot them while on school grounds.

hippiemom

tybird wrote:

I would suspect that these were "feral"...had never had human contact and such. There is really not much that you can do for or with them..they are not considered adoptable....."feral" domestic cats are murder on the local native bird and small wild mammal populations, and they (the cats)should be eliminated humanely.

Before you flame, yes, there is a cat currently resting its head on one of hands.

And here's a nice link explaining a little more about where I am coming from on this issue:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/

They were "orphaned kittens," which I take to mean they were still so young they couldn't feed themselves ... much different than full-grown cats. If they weren't diseased, they'd have been adoptable, and I somehow doubt he did blood tests before he shot them.

Jammin909

Not to be insensitive but I tried to logically replay this scenario in my head and can’t do it without laughing...

conclusion: people are crazy.

69charger

hippiemom wrote:

They were "orphaned kittens," which I take to mean they were still so young they couldn't feed themselves ... much different than full-grown cats. If they weren't diseased, they'd have been adoptable, and I somehow doubt he did blood tests before he shot them.

So what's your stance on abortion?

sponger

I get the feeling that those kittens would've ended up being euthanized at the shelter anyway. Every shelter I've visited seems to be suffering from a bit of overcrowding.

Thorns2010

tybird wrote:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/

Wait, wait, wait....according to that link, there actually is a disese called cat-scratch fever??? And all this time I thought the Nuug was being funny.

Nuug.....I dunno if thats right, stupid Ted Nugent, there, better? Ok!

hippiemom

69charger wrote:

So what's your stance on abortion?

You know my stance on abortion. This thread is about shooting hungry infants who have already been born.

AllNiteThing

69charger wrote:

So what's your stance on abortion?

Are you kidding me? I assume you're trying to entrap her into some kind of morality quandry, but really this is ridiculous.

This situation doesn't equate to abortion! If the mother cat chose to end its pregnancy, why would we even care honestly? lol Silly, but that is what would equate to your example. This translates to an unrelated person coming in and murdering an infant!!!! HUGE difference there.

Also, how does anyone know the cats were feral/wild? Honestly, is it hard to believe the mother cat was someone's pet that just got loose, or was abandoned? Also, these were kittens! Not exactly too dangerous/wild to be taken in and raised by humans! This shit makes me sick, and I really wish there were comparable murder charges against animal killers when it doesn't involve hunting for food consumption. Indiscriminate killing and torture of animals is just as bad if not worse than that on humans, because they can't defend themselves or press charges like we can. People disgust me. :mad:

tybird

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

Fair enough. But it was still stupid to shoot them while on school grounds.

True.........

One Song Glory

Yes, it was a hugely bad thing to shoot poor little innocent kitties (I'm a dog person but our family has SIX cats...some live in the barn, only 2 in the house, but I've become quite attached after all of these little critters), but the real point is that a school principal, upon seeing the helpless starving kitties, promptly decided the best thing he could do for them was to take out his gun and shoot them on school property. There are many many things he could have done instead, if only just to take them off school property or wait till everyone left. That was a very stupid mistake and it cost him his job and reputation. Oh well.

surferdude

I object to the guy's behavior for two reasons;
1. It wasn't his position to decide if the cats should die,
2. Even if it was, shooting them on school grounds wasn't the best way to go about it.

How do people feel about people putting down their pets for so called "compassionate reasons"? That's what this guy thought he was doing.

How do people feel about animal clinics and dog pounds putting down unclaimed animals after a period of time?

hippiemom

surferdude wrote:

I object to the guy's behavior for two reasons;
1. It wasn't his position to decide if the cats should die,
2. Even if it was, shooting them on school grounds wasn't the best way to go about it.

How do people feel about people putting down their pets for so called "compassionate reasons"? That's what this guy thought he was doing.

How do people feel about animal clinics and dog pounds putting down unclaimed animals after a period of time?

I'm all in favor of putting pets down for compassionate reasons. I also support euthanasia. If the kittens were so debilitated that they could never be expected to recover, that would be an entirely different story, but I doubt this guy had the sort of expertise necessary to make that kind of determination. I don't know, I wasn't there, but this article makes it sound like he thought "oh look, hungry kittens ... BANG!" without even trying to find some way to care for them.

And of course, discharging a weapon on school grounds is just crazy. I'm glad the guy got fired. I wouldn't want anyone who exercised such poor judgment running my kids' schools.

qtegirl

All previous points are valid. But what are the principal's actions saying to the kids at the school.

It would've been a great opportunity to teach kids about the value of life, compassion, helping the helpless and all that, had he called animal control or taken the kitties to a shelter. But instead, he decided to shoot them. I'm glad he was fired.

Oh, an afterthought... why did he have a gun in school property to begin with?

Nothingman54

What the fuck is wrong with people!!!!!???? He could have taken them in or until he could find somebody who wants them. I hate cats but I dont go around killing them. What the fuck is this world coming to!?

chopitdown

aren't there better ways to kill a kitty? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_time_you_masturbate..._God_kills_a_kitten

Cosmo

Am I the only one that is more appaulled about the fact that the guy has a fucking GUN at the school? What the HELL is he doing with a gun at the school?
Are there bears he has to defend against? If so, who sends their kids to a school that needs to be defended against bears? Build your fucking schools where there are no bears threatening the kids.

MrBrian

Cosmo wrote:

Am I the only one that is more appaulled about the fact that the guy has a fucking GUN at the school? What the HELL is he doing with a gun at the school?
Are there bears he has to defend against? If so, who sends their kids to a school that needs to be defended against bears? Build your fucking schools where there are no bears threatening the kids.

Would it be stranger if he brought his gun just to shoot the kittens? maybe hahaha,

This is a weird story. what's wrong with some people.

sponger

I don't see anything wrong with the principal having a gun at school. If he wants to be action jackson if ever a crazed gunman shows up to school, then all power to him. You never know these days.

Collin

chopitdown wrote:

aren't there better ways to kill a kitty? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_time_you_masturbate..._God_kills_a_kitten

Collin

sponger wrote:

I don't see anything wrong with the principal having a gun at school. If he wants to be action jackson if ever a crazed gunman shows up to school, then all power to him. You never know these days.

You don't see anything wrong with it?

sponger

Collin wrote:

You don't see anything wrong with it?

Times have changed. In texas, they're training kids on how to "fight back" if ever their school is beseiged by a gunman.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/10/13/defending.the.classroom.ap/index.html

Here's a proposition for faculty members to carry concealed weapons.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15142930/

I personally would feel safer if my principal was packing.

Cosmo

sponger wrote:

Times have changed. In texas, they're training kids on how to "fight back" if ever their school is beseiged by a gunman.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/10/13/defending.the.classroom.ap/index.html

Here's a proposition for faculty members to carry concealed weapons.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15142930/

I personally would feel safer if my principal was packing.

...
A principal whose better judgement was to go out on the playground and shoot kittens? You want him in a running gun battle with Eric Harris wannabes through the hallways where your kids attend classes?
...
I think you may be watching too much T.V... time to lay off the 'A-Team' re-runs.

keeponrockin

Cosmo wrote:

Am I the only one that is more appaulled about the fact that the guy has a fucking GUN at the school? What the HELL is he doing with a gun at the school?
Are there bears he has to defend against? If so, who sends their kids to a school that needs to be defended against bears? Build your fucking schools where there are no bears threatening the kids.

Ya I was thinking about that actually.