Melanie Eng, of Bellefonte, Centre County, has won apologies and $1,250 from the Pennsylvannia commonwealth over the fatal shooting incident nearly a year and a half ago of her trained border collie by a state Fish and Boat Commission deputy.

Still awaiting signatures from both sides (at the time of this writing), the settlement ends an antagonistic episode where animal lovers showered the commission with letters of protest and took to the Internet in what commission representative s declared was an undeserved flood of criticism against the deputy.

The incident came to a heat in August 1996 when the professional dog trainer and veterinary assistant said (in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) she was excercising her 8-year-old border collie and eight golden retrievers at the commission's Colyer Lake, just nine miles outside of State College.

A volunteer deputy waterways conservation officer, Jacob Wishard later told commission officials that when he stepped into the lake, calling out Eng's attention so that he could check the registration on her sailboard, her border collie came at him.

According to the lawsuit Eng filed in Centre County Court, Wishard drew his pistol and fired six shots, hitting the dog at least once. While commission spokespersons had stated that Wishard "had legitimate fear for his safety", Eng responded that the dog was only playing, not attacking. Eng further pointed out that the collie was well trained and had earned the American Kennel Club's second-highest obedience rating for companion dogs.

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