Hunter Who killed and Skinned Two German Shepherd Dogs in Connecticut Says He Thought They Were Coyotes

A hunter is facing criminal charges in Connecticut after admitting to killing and skinning what he thought were two coyotes. However, he later discovered they were pet German shepherds owned by a family in Danbury, Connecticut.

Speaking on March 1st, during a hearing in Danbury Superior Court, the 61-year-old hunter, Michael Konschak, of Carmel, New York, said he was ashamed of what he did. Michael said it was never his intention that morning to harm the two dogs. Michael was arrested last month on multiple charges including tampering with evidence, forgery and interfering with a law enforcement officer.

The case is still under investigation and more charges, including animal cruelty, are possible, according to Danbury State’s Attorney David Applegate, per AP News.

Michael's attorney called the dogs’ deaths an accident and applied for a special probation program requesting that the charges be dropped. However, that request was rejected by a judge on Wednesday.

The dogs' owner, Erin Caviola, said she is heartbroken about what happened to her dogs. She said she looked for them for several weeks and posted flyers after they went missing. Police said in an arrest warrant affidavit that Michael killed the dogs with a crossbow on Nov. 18, 2022, after the dogs, both 10 years old, escaped from a family’s yard.

Michael Konschak

Michael said he was hunting deer on a nearby property when he killed what he thought were two coyotes, according to the affidavit. Michael's attorney, Brian Romano, said his client skinned the animals for their pelts. It is legal in the state of Connecticut to hunt and trap coyotes. However, the prosecutor questioned how Michael could not see that the animals were dogs before skinning them.

He is due back in court in April.