Jan. 7, 2008, 9:44PM
*
Dog steps on loaded shotgun, kills teacher*

By CINDY HORSWELL
Houston Chronicle

In a freak hunting accident, a Baytown man was killed over the weekend
when his dog stepped on his loaded shotgun, triggering a discharge that
penetrated his truck's tailgate and then struck him, officials said.

Perry Alvin Price III was hunting on a lease near Stowell in Chambers
County Saturday and had shot down a goose but had not seen where it
landed, sheriff's investigators said.

The 46-year-old math teacher from Baytown's Robert E. Lee High School
then put his shotgun in the back of his truck and was about to open the
tailgate to release his tracking dog when the shotgun fired,
investigators said. The blast struck Price in the thigh.

Price died from severe blood loss from his femoral artery shortly after
arriving about 6:20 p.m. at Winnie Medical Center. Price's hunting
companion and a former student, Daniel Groberg, said he tried to stop
the bleeding with clothing before taking him from the hunting lease off
FM 1941.

Paw prints from Price's beloved chocolate Labrador retriever, Arthur,
were found on the muddy shotgun, said Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive.

"It's the strangest case that I've seen," LaRive said. "We couldn't talk
to Perry and Groberg was at the front of the truck when he heard the
shotgun blast and didn't see what happened."

Price's sister speculated that the dog was anxious to begin the pursuit.

"His dog was so excited," said Patricia Payne. "He was jumping all
around, because he was about to get out and go get that goose.

"That gun had to be knocked around just right to fire. I believe the dog
knocked the safety off and hit the trigger, too," she said. "Price was
always so careful."

Since the shooting, the dog and Price's other pet, a golden retriever,
Leon, have been looking lost and sad at his Baytown home where he lives
with his wife, Kelli, and his two stepchildren, Payne said.

The dogs were "like children to him," his sister said. His classroom at
Lee is also filled with photographs of his dogs which he used to get his
students' attention, she said.

A teaching colleague, Melanie Turner, recalled how Price developed a
special award this year that was indicative of his love for hunting. For
students who exhibited extra perseverance and determination, he would
hand out T-shirts naming them "Bird Dog of the Week."

"His loss will be felt for quite some time," Turner said.

Students in the Goose Creek district held a moment of silence in honor
of Price on Monday. Afterward, counselors talked to many who grieved
over the loss of their teacher.

Price had been a fixture on that campus for 20 years. He graduated from
Texas A&M with a civil engineering degree but chose to dedicate his life
to teaching instead, his sister said.

Teaching in Baytown has been a family tradition, as not only Price but
also Payne and his other sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Andy
Jacobs, teach there.

"Price was a highly respected educator, whose wonderful rapport with
students was key in helping them to understand and even joy
mathematics," said Barbara Sultis, Baytown's superintendent.

"Everyone remembers him for his smile," said Kathy Clausen, the
district's spokeswoman.

Teachers praised his ability to help the slower learners and remembered
his love of hunting.

"I always enjoyed talking to him about the outdoors, especially about
his wild hog trap and his taxidermy," said Calvin Jeffrey, another math
teacher.

Sheriff LaRive said even experienced, safety-conscious hunters like
Price must double check themselves when in the field.

LaRive said the safety should always be kept on any gun that is not
immediately being fired and that a gun should be stored in a protected
place with its barrel pointed away from people.

In October, a 37-year-old Tama, Iowa man was shot in the leg at close
range by his dog, who stepped on his shotgun and tripped the trigger.

James Harris was hit in the calf on the opening day of pheasant season.
The wound was not life-threatening.

Visitation for Price is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the
Navarre Funeral Home in Baytown.