It was a case of being out in three strikes for a lab mix dog shot to death Friday.

According to the Island County Sheriff’s Office, Maple Glen resident Mark Myres shot the dog after returning to the scene at which it had apparently killed three chickens a few days earlier. Myres shot the dog as it was walking up his driveway and after it had attempted to kill one of his geese.

Events began to unfold a few days earlier when two nearly identical black dogs were sited by Myres’ wife, Mynda. During the week, Mynda Myres noticed one of the chickens she and her husband own were missing. The next day two more were killed.

At about 8:30 a.m. Friday, Mynda Myres was at home getting ready for work when the two dogs reappeared on the property.

“They were trying to corral the ducks and geese out of our pond,” she said. “One of the dogs grabbed a goose. I hit the dog on the head and he dropped the goose and ran to the end of our driveway. The other dog ran away.”

She then called her husband at work.

“He arrived home in about three minutes,” Mynda Myres said.

At that point the dog started walking away.

According to the sheriff’s report, Myres’ shot the dog three times.

The dog belonged to Terry Farnworth, Freeland contractor who was working in the area and had been bringing his two dogs to work with him.

“I know what happened isn’t right. My dog suffered. He was not in the process of harming any chickens when Mark shot him. He wore a collar and tags, something else could have been done. I am the guilty party, not my dog,” Farnworth said.

No charges were filed against Myres, because it is lawful to shoot an animal causing harm to livestock. Island County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Norrie also noted that the dog’s owner was in violation of the county’s leash law.

“It is an unfortunate situation,” he said. “The dog apparently wandered off while his owner was working.”

Norrie said Mark Myers was “horrified” to find out that he knew the owner of the dog.

Norrie said some other livestock in the area — goats and sheep — had been killed or injured recently. However, he said he doesn’t know whether those attacks were made by dogs or coyotes. Island County Animal Control is investigating these incidents.

Norrie said this type of incident—shooting a dog— is a rare occurrence in the county.

“If you are having a problem with a dog and your livestock, we recommend talking to the animal’s owner — if known— to try and work something out before it goes this far,” he said.

The dog’s owner is a carpenter working for the Clinton company, Custom Remodel. He has been working on a home owned by George Warren, another Maple Glen resident. Warren, who was shocked by the shooting, described Farnworth’s dogs as young and friendly. He has played fetch with the dogs on occasion.

“This is a loss for us. I don’t feel safe here,” he said. “This incident says something about the quality of life here. Dogs get out once in awhile, but to shoot one is extreme. I don’t believe there was cause. With Whidbey Island becoming more crowded with people, we can’t resort to these old ways.”

Warren says he believes the young dog was drawn into the situation by other dogs.