{"id":660,"date":"2026-09-18T09:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truecrime.rcdbs.com\/?p=660"},"modified":"2026-09-29T16:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:03:20","slug":"he-shot-the-wrong-dog-then-a-judge-uncovered-a-much-bigger-property-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truecrime.rcdbs.com\/?p=660","title":{"rendered":"He Shot the Wrong Dog\u2014Then a Judge Uncovered a Much Bigger Property Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The courtroom opened with a blunt accusation: \u201cYou shot a dog.\u201d What followed was not only a dispute over veterinary bills. It was a story about mistaken identity, shifting property boundaries, animals caught in a neighborhood conflict, and one defendant\u2019s reluctant admission that he had fired a BB gun at the wrong animal. Before the hearing ended, another family would face judgment over a canceled trip to Japan\u2014and the deeper question of who gets to make decisions when parents, grandparents, and children are no longer moving in the same direction.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/949f8255-c351-4496-9b15-76aa11a73b44-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The First Case : The dog-shooting dispute begins with a complicated property arrangement<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The first case, Butler v. Welch, involved Michael and Perry Butler, who sued their neighbors, Michael Welch, Jr. and Lisa Welch, for veterinary expenses. The central dispute began on rural property owned by Perry Butler, Sr., who said he had owned it for about 20 years. The transcript identifies Perry as the property owner and Michael Butler, Jr. as Ruca\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/cbf1ab2e-803a-4abf-9853-a50c79668262-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The arrangement between the families was not straightforward. An RV belonging to the Welches had been placed on part of the Butler property with Scott Butler\u2019s permission. Scott lived in a house on his father\u2019s property and described the Welches as old friends. He also acknowledged that the Welches paid $400 a month to him, with his father\u2019s knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/7d2f5e67-c7f6-43d3-8c20-aface6fb1f0b-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Welch, Jr. said he lived with his parents in a camper outside the property. The hearing quickly established that the property owner wanted the Welches to leave. Their explanation was that the motorhome would not start. Judge Judy Sheindlin treated that as a practical problem, but not as permission to remain on someone else\u2019s land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/eb32e16b-9d76-4175-ab46-dfff869c0339-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ruca is left behind before a family trip<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Butler, Jr. explained that he did not live with his father or grandfather. He owned a dog named Ruca, whom he had previously left with family members when traveling. On this occasion, he was preparing to leave for his niece\u2019s graduation on June 1. He said Ruca was left with his father and grandfather for approximately a week, and that he believed he had left the dog on May 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The incident occurred the following morning, May 30, as Michael was preparing to fly out. He said the family received a call before departure informing them that Ruca had been shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/2d0ede4d-1c36-46b3-abac-2c99442941d4-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">According to the defense account, dogs had previously entered the property and taken or chased chickens and ducks. The animals were associated with Scott Butler, not with Michael Welch, Jr. Welch said he believed the dog that came onto the property on May 30 was one of the animals that had been attacking the chickens and ducks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/16b08c35-7938-40f5-b8b3-b69517434c47-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">That belief turned out to be wrong. Welch told the court that a neighboring dog looked exactly like the dog he thought had caused the earlier problems. He described the shooting as a terrible mistake that went further than it should have. He said he had shouted for the dog to stop, but it did not stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/7bc63a76-4a83-41f3-8f42-e458f1bffde6-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A mistaken dog leads to a $4,156.48 judgment<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Judge Sheindlin reduced the dispute to a direct question: Welch had shot a dog that did not belong to him, on property that did not belong to him, because he believed the animal had harmed animals that also did not belong to him. Welch confirmed that the judge\u2019s summary was accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The weapon was a BB gun, but the judge rejected the suggestion that this made the shooting insignificant. Welch acknowledged that he had fired multiple times. When he argued that he had aimed at the animal\u2019s body rather than its head or eyes, the judge emphasized that repeated BB-gun shots could still cause serious harm, particularly if an eye or vital organ were struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/4ecdd75e-23ac-4c46-bcb6-095b78e7494d-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The courtroom exchange also tested whether Welch had acted independently. His mother had not told him to shoot the dog, and his father had not told him to do it. After being pressed for a yes-or-no answer, Welch admitted that he had shot the dog himself. He also agreed that he had shot the wrong dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The judge used an analogy involving children to underline the problem with mistaken identity. If one child had repeatedly chased ducks and another child of similar size later appeared, shooting the second child would not be justified merely because the shooter believed he had found the offender. The same principle, the judge said, applied to Ruca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/5cc8271f-bd13-4473-9c94-d6fc85b805e8-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The veterinary bills exceeded $4,000. The court heard that Lisa Welch had agreed after the shooting to pay the bill and had made two $50 payments, for which receipts were issued. The judge ultimately entered judgment for the plaintiffs in the amount of $4,156.48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling also addressed the wider property conflict. Scott Butler testified that he had first asked Michael Welch, Jr. to leave about six months earlier, but that Michael Jr. and Lisa later returned and would not leave. Welch acknowledged that he knew he was on property that was not his. The judge told him to leave, and he agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">After the judgment, Michael Butler, Jr. said he felt justice had been done for Ruca. The Welch side also recognized the practical consequence of the hearing: it was time to find another place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/e299a21f-2a0d-4a74-9842-3ed9a9d1d018-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Second Case : Another incident . The Japan trip that became a custody conflict<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The second case, Rodriguez v. Vidaurri, involved Selma Rodriguez and her former daughter-in-law, Natalie Vidaurri. Rodriguez sued over the cost of a canceled trip to Japan that she had paid for her 14-year-old grandson, Vittorio. Because the cancellation occurred too late for refunds, Rodriguez sought reimbursement for the non-refundable cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/8b3b3882-e9a6-43d5-ae9a-8ce0df95c0fb-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Natalie and her former husband had been married for 13 years and had two children, Vittorio and eight-year-old Mila. Their divorce became final in 2019, and the children split custody between both parents. Natalie acknowledged that Selma maintained a relationship with the children and had traveled with them independently of Natalie and her former husband, including trips with Vittorio to Alaska and Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/8ef918c8-bc05-4dde-aa58-724fef2001e4-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The Japan trip had been discussed in January 2024. Vittorio\u2019s passport had expired, so the family renewed his photograph and information in preparation for the journey. The scheduled departure date was May 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/65674ed3-566d-4291-871e-e251b6b980ac-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The dispute intensified because Natalie was also considering relocating to Montana with her boyfriend, a retired veteran who lived on a pension. She explained that the move was connected to the cost of living in California and said they were seeking to relocate. Natalie maintained that the plans were not simply impulsive: she said they had pre-approval for a home loan and had arranged a schedule for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">But the children\u2019s father did not consent to moving them from California to Montana. He testified that Natalie first raised the relocation in December 2023 and that they discussed it more seriously in April. He said he would have been more comfortable if she already had a home and a job in Montana. That had not happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/3c5ec11a-b8ff-447e-a1cb-e4ecfa65cb70-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The court rejects a last-minute cancellation<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Natalie testified that her lawyer told her in April that she should not allow Vittorio to travel to Tokyo. The judge described the resulting cancellation as unnecessary and held Natalie responsible for the trip Rodriguez had paid for but could not refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The relocation issue was not formally before the court in that hearing, but it shaped the judge\u2019s reasoning. Judge Sheindlin strongly criticized the idea that one parent could unilaterally take children to another state when they had an ongoing relationship with the other custodial parent. She emphasized that Vittorio, 14, and Mila, eight, had serious ties in California and that their father was entitled to remain a meaningful part of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/540b4f34-1209-434f-8d88-01d77a397377-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">When Natalie argued that the move was supported by a home-loan pre-approval and was not based on a whim, the judge disagreed. The court\u2019s concern was not simply whether Natalie had personal reasons for wanting a different life. It was whether those reasons justified disrupting the children\u2019s established relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Judge Sheindlin entered judgment for Rodriguez in the amount stated in court as \u201cthirty-eight, sixty-five.\u201d She also told Natalie that she had no reason to cancel the Japan trip. The hearing ended with the court adjourned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/98001b9b-65c4-44f7-adf7-998b8da131b2-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Afterward, Rodriguez said Natalie had sent a message two days before departure stating that Vittorio would not be allowed to go. Natalie argued that the Montana dispute had become entangled with the trip case, while Rodriguez said Natalie had been working to sever her relationship with the children. The closing discussion returned to a central principle: after having children, a parent\u2019s personal preferences cannot automatically come before the children\u2019s interests and their relationship with both parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/4627342b-6ed0-42e8-8fe8-5861f8c774d7-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What both cases revealed about responsibility<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Although the two disputes involved different families, the hearings turned on similar questions. In the first, Michael Welch, Jr. acted on an assumption about an animal\u2019s identity and then resisted paying the consequences. In the second, Natalie Vidaurri made a decision about a child\u2019s travel while a larger custody and relocation conflict was developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The testimony showed strained relationships and competing explanations. Yet the court returned to responsibility: know whose property you are dealing with, understand the authority you do\u2014or do not\u2014have, and recognize when a decision affects someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Ruca\u2019s case, the result was a veterinary judgment and an order to leave the property. In the Japan-trip case, the result was reimbursement for the canceled travel. In both, the court treated avoidable decisions as consequences that could not simply be transferred to someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.igallery.blog\/assets\/af9d6b2312d54a5376d2a4e19eed7f6a\/2026\/0813\/2207ba60-4fc5-4e80-91b5-5b5ad2bfb814-image.webp\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did Michael and Perry Butler sue Michael Welch, Jr. and Lisa Welch?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They sued for veterinary bills after Michael Welch, Jr. shot Michael Butler, Jr.\u2019s dog, Ruca, with a BB gun. The court awarded the plaintiffs $4,156.48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why was Ruca shot?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welch said he believed Ruca was one of the dogs that had been entering the property and taking or chasing chickens and ducks. He later acknowledged that he had mistaken Ruca for a similar-looking dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did the Welches own the property?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Perry Butler, Sr. testified that he owned the rural property and had owned it for about 20 years. The hearing established that the Welches were being asked to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What was the second lawsuit about?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Selma Rodriguez sued Natalie Vidaurri over the cost of a canceled trip to Japan for Rodriguez\u2019s 14-year-old grandson, Vittorio. The trip became connected to a dispute over travel authorization, custody, and a possible move to Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did the judge decide in the Japan-trip case?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge held Natalie responsible for the non-refundable trip cost and entered judgment for Rodriguez in the amount stated in court as \u201cthirty-eight, sixty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The courtroom opened with a blunt accusation: \u201cYou shot a dog.\u201d What followed was not only a dispute over veterinary bills. It was a story about mistaken identity, shifting property boundaries, animals caught in a neighborhood conflict, and one defendant\u2019s reluctant admission that he had fired a BB gun at the wrong animal. Before the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[64,68,61,62,24,65,66],"class_list":["post-660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-butler-v-welch","tag-canceled-japan-trip-lawsuit","tag-dog-shooting-lawsuit","tag-family-court-dispute","tag-judy-justice","tag-property-dispute","tag-ruca-vet-bills"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>He Shot the Wrong Dog\u2014Then a Judge Uncovered a Much Bigger Property Fight - RCDBS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He Shot the Wrong Dog\u2014Then a Judge Uncovered a Much Bigger Property Fight - RCDBS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The courtroom opened with a blunt accusation: \u201cYou shot a dog.\u201d What followed was not only a dispute over veterinary bills. It was a story about mistaken identity, shifting property boundaries, animals caught in a neighborhood conflict, and one defendant\u2019s reluctant admission that he had fired a BB gun at the wrong animal. 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