How horrific

Ga. animal lovers killed by pack of wild dogs

Coroner: Dogs killed woman, then husband -- Pack of wild canines fatally maul couple near their rural Georgia home

I first heard the story a couple of days ago, before they released the cause of death, because the wife was a humanities bibliographer at the University of Georgia library, so it made it onto LISNews. Her husband was a retired professor of German and philosophy. According to the MSNBC article the two had divorced and the husband had moved to Kansas, where among other things he ran a prison library. So there are library connexions on both sides. After he retired, he returned to Georgia and wooed his ex-wife back.

Authorities believe that Sherry Schweder went out for a walk on Friday. One of their own dogs had disappeared about a month ago and she may have been looking for it. There's evidence that her husband, Lothar, went looking for her in their car. Both were found dead, mauled by a feral dog pack that was still on the scene when paramedics were called Saturday morning by those discovering the bodies. Authorities have rounded up 16 dogs they think may have been involved.

Wild dogs are a dangerous part of rural life, but an attack like this is so rare. I feel so sorry for this couple, and their sons. By all accounts Sherry Schweder in particular was a great animal lover; the couple had several pets (okay, more than several--20 cats and seven dogs) of their own, and she had apparently expressed concern over the strays in the area. It's especially sad that the very animals she was concerned about were involved in her death. But it is also a reminder that animals, even domesticated ones, are not without dangers, especially when turned loose out in the wild. This is just another reason for spaying/neutering and caring for dogs rather than allowing them to become feral. As it is, the eleven dogs and five puppies rounded up as being feral are being euthanised by court order. They're still looking for two dogs out there. They're also trying to find homes for the couple's animals.

My thoughts are with the Schweder family and the couple's colleagues in the aftermath of this tragic happening.

PS: To the Associated Press--Lightning and lightening are two different words. Please learn to use/edit them correctly. The error has been perpetuated on many sites, including both of the above.