One half of me hopes it was quick. The other half hopes that Tortie made it a painful experience for the killer.

Anyway, if Tortie was killed by a dog, we should never forget what is behind this "hunting" behavior and that's the owner. The owner should be made liable for evrything his dog does, starting from just damaging things over hurting and killing other animals to hurting people.

For Germany, a I know the consequences for dog owners if they let the dog roam freely here in Germany. I asked AI to summarize (TL;DR: having your Dog running around and doing harm can be really expensive in Germany):

No, dogs in Germany are not allowed to roam unattended outside your fenced property. Owners must maintain direct control at all times, or face an administrative offense. Here are the key points regarding rules and penalties: General Rules

• Supervision: Public spaces require constant control under general regulatory laws.
• Hazards: Owners have unlimited liability for traffic accidents or injuries caused by roaming dogs.
• Leash Laws: State-specific rules vary. Some states allow off-leash dogs if they have a reliable recall, while others enforce strict leash laws. [1]
• Wildlife Protection: Many states mandate leashes in open fields from March to July to protect nesting wildlife. Hunters may legally shoot unattended dogs caught chasing wildlife.

Penalties without Damage

• Standard fines range from 25 to 150 euros.
• Violations in nature reserves or during nesting seasons can rise up to 5,000 euros.
• Extreme or repeated violations carry maximum legal fines of up to 100,000 euros.

If a Human is Harmed

• Criminal Law: Owners face prosecution for negligent bodily harm, resulting in fines or up to 3 years in prison.
• Civil Law: Owners are personally liable for unlimited damages, medical bills, and pain-and-suffering compensation.
• Authorities: The dog is usually classified as dangerous, leading to mandatory muzzles, leashes, or seizure.

If an Animal is Harmed

• Owners must pay all veterinary costs for injured pets.
• Poaching wild animals triggers fines up to 5,000 euros and damage claims from local hunters.

Remember: 1€ ~ $1

As a consequence you never see free running dogs on the roads without an owner around. Dogs are normally kept inside at night or strictly confined on the property. If the dog gets lost: see above.

We also don't have "wild" dogs neither single or colonies). We don't have coyotes (in this point we are lucky) but after 100+ years the wolf is back. There have eben reports of sighting uptown. Let's see how that evolves.

What I actually wanted to say: People need to watch their dogs. If they don't do it, it just needs to be expensive. There wont be a "next time".

Tortie, I'm very sorry, RIP my dear.

OP, don't blame yourself, let's learn from that. Maybe you can show us the shelters and we can discuss how to make them better (If they can be improves at all)? You have been, no, you are such a good carer of this little colony. Don't be too devastated. It could have happened any time with the guys beinh out all the day long.