OH - Dorothy Richardson for beating fawn to death, Euclid, 2009

[Paintr]

http://www.examiner.com/x-8250-Denver-Gardening-Examiner~y2009m7d8-Elderly-woman-kills-flower-eating-deer-with-shovel

The elderly lady who killed the fawn with the shovel told Fox news she was frightened of the deer and that it hissed at her. It is rumored, however that there was another story told to neighbors. Her councilman and neighbor, Christopher Gruber has stated that the elderly lady confided to him she was angry at the deer for eating her flowers.

..........

That's right, Gruber also stated that Dorothy Richardson intended to “put the deer at the edge of the woods so the other deer would know not to come and eat her flowers”.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

http://www.examiner.com/x-8250-Denver-Gardening-Examiner~y2009m7d8-Elderly-woman-kills-flower-eating-deer-with-shovel

The elderly lady who killed the fawn with the shovel told Fox news she was frightened of the deer and that it hissed at her. It is rumored, however that there was another story told to neighbors. Her councilman and neighbor, Christopher Gruber has stated that the elderly lady confided to him she was angry at the deer for eating her flowers.

..........

That's right, Gruber also stated that Dorothy Richardson intended to “put the deer at the edge of the woods so the other deer would know not to come and eat her flowers”.

Yeah, that's a popular old-timey thing: elderly farmers when I was a kid used to crucify crows in their fields as warnings to the others. Ghastly.

 

[eleven]

See, that's the thing; was she scared or angry? Hard to conceive of someone being scared of a fawn. (Fawn? No. Deer? Yes.) Maybe the deer have been eating all her plants (They do mine.) So she was angry at all deerkind. In which case, her actions are inexcusable, because she had other options to keep deer away.

But maybe she's one of those people who are freaked out by all animals, especially ones she happens to come upon unexpectedly in her suburban yard. Maybe when she comes upon an animal in her garden she beats first, asks questions later out of panic.

I don't think this story would tear at our heartstrings so much if she'd beaten a less adorable creature like a possum or an armadillo or a snake.

I feel for the fawn, I really do. But I kind of feel for this little old lady going it alone and trying to tend to everything herself, too, as she loses her abilities.

"Maybe the deer have been eating all her plants"? Honestly, then maybe she should live in an area that is not frequented by deer and then she wouldn't have to worry about it!

This story would tear at my heartstrings just as much as it does now if she ruthlessly beat any other animal to death.

I have NO sympathy for her. So she's an old lady who is trying to tend to everything herself....Boo freaking Hoo. What sort of "abilities" is she losing? She visciously beat an animal to death with a shovel....she is obviously not as frail as some think.

I understand you feel bad for the fawn as well as the killer, but think about this. If this was a young kid or teenage boy who did this, there would be mass outrage and callings to lock the kid up, with everyone stating that this is the mark of a future serial killer. (I believe it is) I guarantee you nobody would feel bad for a kid who would do this, so why do people feel bad for an evil old lady who did this?

Just like the saying, I firmly believe you can sum up (judge) a person accurately by the way he/she treats animals. It's so true. I'll even take it a step further and state that IF I meet someone who doesn't like animals, even HATES animals, it is an automatic internal 'red flag' for me and I mentally cross that person off.

 

[Paintr]

I honestly do not think this lady was afraid of the fawn. Maybe the adults moved too fast for her to hit them with the shovel. She doesn't seem very timid to me.

However I do not think that any charges ( or at least only light charges) will be brought against her. For every person who thinks this is a cruel senseless act deliberately done in anger, there will be one person who believes this elderly widow woman was defending herself against a marauding wild animal.

 

[Openmind]

Yeah, that's a popular old-timey thing: elderly farmers when I was a kid used to crucify crows in their fields as warnings to the others. Ghastly.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I would guess those farmers had a more pragmatic view of the world. They lived in times when people's food came from the field and not from the store. What the crows destroyed meant less food for the family. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]My husband was raised on a ranch and my in-laws had a dickens of a time keeping the deer from eating up their flowers and their peaches. They never resorted to hurting or killing the deer, but they didn't feel warm and fuzzy toward them either. To them, the deer were pest -- pretty, but pest. It is hard to imagine killing a fawn. I have seen a couple in the wild, and they are precious and vulnerable. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]

 

[WhyaDuck?]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I would guess those farmers had a more pragmatic view of the world. They lived in times when people's food came from the field and not from the store. What the crows destroyed meant less food for the family. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]My husband was raised on a ranch and my in-laws had a dickens of a time keeping the deer from eating up their flowers and their peaches. They never resorted to hurting or killing the deer, but they didn't feel warm and fuzzy toward them either. To them, the deer were pest -- pretty, but pest. It is hard to imagine killing a fawn. I have seen a couple in the wild, and they are precious and vulnerable. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]

True, but many horrid things have been part of our collective past - that doesn't mean we can't hope for better things.

And before anyone squawks, yes, my folks still farm, and, yes, I appreciate them.

 

[passionflower]

My son's farm has allot of deer.........they eat his apples etc.
We love watching them from the porch.
They are beautiful, graceful animals.
It's so peaceful to be around the farm, watching deer, listening to birds, trees and other countryside scenes.
I hope all generations get to experience the outdoor country life.

 

[Openmind]

True, but many horrid things have been part of our collective past - that doesn't mean we can't hope for better things.

And before anyone squawks, yes, my folks still farm, and, yes, I appreciate them.

Absolutely -- I think what this woman did was horrid.

Aging is not a fun adventure especially when you are alone. She acts almost defiantly independent. Her neighbor seemed surprised at her actions so I wonder if this is a new behavior. Is she having new mental issues to take such a drastic and extreme action on an animal that is as helpless as they come?

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Absolutely -- I think what this woman did was horrid.

Aging is not a fun adventure especially when you are alone. She acts almost defiantly independent. Her neighbor seemed surprised at her actions so I wonder if this is a new behavior. Is she having new mental issues to take such a drastic and extreme action on an animal that is as helpless as they come?

Rage can be a common symptom with several geriatric mental issues, I think. Not to be insulting or harsh, but I really hope that, if she has grandchildren, they are really closely supervised with this woman.

 

[STEADFAST]

Authorities in Cherokee County say a 66-year-old man was killed by a deer last night.
http://gpbnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/deer-kills-man-in-cherokee-county.html

The nine-point buck gored and mauled 79-year-old Donald Sellers while Sellers was working on a fence on his property Monday in the Chapel Hill community, according to Choctaw County Sheriff Don Lolley. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/855564/posts

BALL GROUND, Ga. -- A man was found dead after apparently being attacked by a deer. Deer kill about 150 people a year in the Unites States. http://www.drudge.com/archive/99375/deer-kills-man

It's not impossible for someone to be afraid of a deer. (Actually, I live with tons of them and I'm very afraid. They do not mess around, especially in certain seasons.)

I wouldn't, however, go so far as to kill one, especially a fawn. I can't even imagine doing that personally. (I don't even eat deer, lamb, veal, rabbit, etc.) It's just that I can understand an elderly woman, coming from a time with a whole different mind set, not looking at wild animals with the affection and sympathy that is customary nowadays.

Seventy years ago, The Yearling was applauded for its deer-killing theme as a symbol for emerging maturity and responsibility.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

It's not impossible for someone to be afraid of a deer. (Actually, I live with tons of them and I'm very afraid. They do not mess around, especially in certain seasons.)

I wouldn't, however, go so far as to kill one, especially a fawn. I can't even imagine doing that personally. (I don't even eat deer, lamb, veal, rabbit, etc.) It's just that I can understand an elderly woman, coming from a time with a whole different mind set, not looking at wild animals with the affection and sympathy that is customary nowadays.

Seventy years ago, The Yearling was applauded for its deer-killing theme as a symbol for emerging maturity and responsibility.

I think it is bull that this woman was scared. I believe she saw the deer, went to the garage to get the shovel and beat it to death. No amount of articles will convince me that she did this to protect herself.

 

[STEADFAST]

I think it is bull that this woman was scared. She saw the deer, went to the garage to get the shovel and beat it to death. No amount of articles will convince me that she did this to protect herself.

Pearseha, I was sort of just kidding around with the articles. It's possible that she is dangerous. She seems to be mentally impaired in some way. On the other hand, I don't see all that much difference in purposely beating a fawn and purposely shooting a buck. I would do neither.

But I don't see any outraged threads titled "Crazy Middle-Aged Man Shoots Defenseless Deer With a Rifle," even though that is a common occurance. If your neighbor is a hunter, would you not allow your children to visit his house because he would probably shoot them, too?

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Pearseha, I was sort of just kidding around with the articles. It's possible that she is dangerous. She seems to be mentally impaired in some way. On the other hand, I don't see all that much difference in purposely beating a fawn and purposely shooting a buck. I would do neither.

But I don't see any outraged threads titled "Crazy Middle-Aged Man Shoots Defenseless Deer With a Rifle," even though that is a common occurance. If your neighbor is a hunter, would you not allow your children to visit his house because he would probably shoot them, too?

Actually, since you ask, I wouldn't let my son visit people who hunt. Not because they might shoot him, though. And you're right, I don't see much difference either between shooting a deer and beating one to death - except that the latter seems a bit more unbalanced.

And if I had my way, you would see threads entitled "Crazy Middle-Aged Man Shoots Defenseless Deer With a Rifle."

 

[STEADFAST]

Actually, since you ask, I wouldn't let my son visit people who hunt. Not because they might shoot him, though. And you're right, I don't see much difference between shooting a deer and beating one to death - except that the latter seems a bit more unbalanced.

And if I had my way, you would see threads entitled "Crazy Middle-Aged Man Shoots Defenseless Deer With a Rifle."

That would need a whole "Deer Sleuths" site! I live basically in the middle of the woods and my yard is overrun with various creatures. No matter who I complain to about them eating my plants and bird food, the first question eveyone asks is "Do you shoot them?" What?????

 

[WhyaDuck?]

That would need a whole "Deer Sleuths" site! I live basically in the middle of the woods and my yard is overrun with various creatures. No matter who I complain to about them eating my plants and bird food, the first question eveyone asks is "Do you shoot them?" What?????

Yes, that would be a quick way to get my bum banned around here. Around about the 7th thread, I think...

 

[eve]

Here in Mn. everywhere I live as been frequented by all manner of wildlife and one has to have a healthy respect for them. Too many people regard them as potential "pets" - feeding them, etc. Just awful to beat a fawn. She has mental issues. What next?


Eve

 

[Openmind]

The Yearling[/i] was applauded for its deer-killing theme as a symbol for emerging maturity and responsibility.

Really, not trying to argue, but the reason Jody in the book "The Yearling" had to kill his deer was because it was destroying the family's garden -- the food they needed to survive. The deer could not live in the wild, but it still had wild and uncontrollalbe behaviors.

Rawling's beautiful book "Crosscreek" depicts the struggle she experienced living in the backwaters of Florida and how difficult life was in that environment. It discusses the people that inspired the characters in "The Yearling" and in both the killing of the deer was painful but sadly necessary.

 

[Julespa]

She definitely has some sort of mental issues. To spot a deer in the garden and then walk to your garage, rummage through it for a shovel then return to the fawn and beat it to death sure tells me she is off her rocker and a mean old lady. I have a huge flower garden and vegetable garden. I get groundhogs and rabbits rummaging through it all the time. I chase them and pound on my back window and they stare at me in defiance but NEVER would I hurt them. The worst thing I have ever done is humane trap a ground hog that was coming up on my porch and eating my herbs and lunging at my cat as she sat in the window, I took him out into an abandoned field with plenty of wild edibles for him, he seemed pretty happy and once I squirted a neighbors dog with the garden hose that was digging holes in the yard and pooing on the sidewalk, but never would I ever harm an animal. I have 5 pets of my own that range from cute fuzzy bunnies to fat frogs and I love them all equally no matter how un-cuddly some may be. Love all creatures big and small, fuzzy or scaly. That's my motto

 

[STEADFAST]

Really, not trying to argue, but the reason Jody in the book "The Yearling" had to kill his deer was because it was destroying the family's garden -- the food they needed to survive. The deer could not live in the wild, but it still had wild and uncontrollalbe behaviors.

Rawling's beautiful book "Crosscreek" depicts the struggle she experienced living in the backwaters of Florida and how difficult life was in that environment. It discusses the people that inspired the characters in "The Yearling" and in both the killing of the deer was painful but sadly necessary.

My point was that in this woman's lifetime, it has not been considered out of place to kill an animal that impinges on human territory -- even an animal that is sweet-looking and small. This woman and her husband probably worked hard and sacrificed to own a nice house and have a yard and garden, even more than most considering the racial, social, and financial obstacles they must have faced during their lives. Now she is old (though strong!) and probably, judging from her interview, somewhat impaired and paranoid. Her neighbors should help to to keep the deer out of the yard, since they seem to frighten/anger her so much.

 

[Openmind]

My point was that in this woman's lifetime, it has not been considered out of place to kill an animal that impinges on human territory -- even an animal that is sweet-looking and small. This woman and her husband probably worked hard and sacrificed to own a nice house and have a yard and garden, even more than most considering the racial, social, and financial obstacles they must have faced during their lives. Now she is old (though strong!) and probably, judging from her interview, somewhat impaired and paranoid. Her neighbors should help to to keep the deer out of the yard, since they seem to frighten/anger her so much.

Absolutely agree.