11 months ago
TURLOCK, CA - The Turlock Golf and Country Club is mourning the loss of one of its most loyal employees this month, a border collie named Quinn. The Merced County Sheriff's Department said Quinn was shot and killed Dec. 16 when a former golf course employee, Franco Garcia Aguilar, 21, walked onto the golf course and shot and killed the dog who was boarded in his kennel near the course's maintenance area. Turlock Golf and Country Club General Manager Michael Blevins said Aguilar was laid off from the golf course's maintenance crew sometime in November. According to Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Tom MacKenzie, Aguilar was being held on a previous domestic violence charge when he also confessed to shooting the dog three times with a 12-gauge shotgun in the early morning hours of Dec. 16. Aguilar told the Merced County Sheriff's Department that he was "mad at his boss" and killed the dog to get back him. Aguilar's boss Joel Erickson had been the dog's handler at the club. Aguilar faces charges of animal cruelty and burglary as well as the previous domestic violence charge. Blevins said it's been a significant loss. Aside from being the club's unofficial mascot, Quinn was responsible for chasing away the flocks of Canada geese that would settle on and near the golf course. "You can understand vandalism," Blevins said. "But to take out your aggression on a helpless animal is really sick." Blevins said the club is now looking into using remote control boats to chase the geese away from the course. Geese have been a nuisance at the club because of the high amount of excrement and general damage they have caused to the turf. Blevins said Quinn was very good at his job and the players enjoyed watching him at work. "He was a pleasure to watch. It looked like he was playing with the geese," Blevins said. "It is a significant loss."
