Ken,
I shot the Tri-States match and the stage in question was one that involved wild dogs. I believe the scenario (the target in question) was something like the the wild dogs were attacking your pet and an precisely placed shot was required to get them off. In the context of the stage, it was a perfectly legal target that did not violate the principles of IDPA. You can see the stage in question in this video. It was stage 9, the last target.

-Capel
www.gadpa.com