No Charges for Man Who Killed Family Dog With a Knife

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
June 11, 2019US News
share
No Charges for Man Who Killed Family Dog With a Knife
File photo showing police tape at night. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A man who killed a family’s dog with a knife will not be charged, authorities said.

The situation took place in McDonough, Georgia on June 9.

Henry County Police Department officers responded to a 911 call and found the dog, a Golden Retriever, lying in the yard across the street from the house he lived in, according to a police report obtained by 11 Alive. Officers were told by the owner of the dog that his neighbor used a knife to slit the animal’s throat.

Another neighbor said she was on her porch when the killing happened and witnessed it.

The man who killed the dog said that he and his wife were walking when the dog approached them, barking. The man had a knife on him and pulled it out.

The witness said that the dog never bit or lunged at the pair but the man lunged at the dog and killed it.

A third neighbor told officers she saw the dog approach the couple and said the dog was barking as the man got between the animal and his wife. She thought at first that the man punched the dog but realized he stabbed it in the neck.

The man who killed the dog said that he told the dog to stop barking and when it didn’t he stabbed it. The knife was found on top of a garbage can with blood on it.

A neighbor told police that the dog had “a history of being aggressive and chasing people in the neighborhood.” The dog’s owner “admits that the dog has gotten out in the past and chased people,” according to the police report, reported the Henry Herald.

Another neighbor wrote on Facebook that the Golden Retriever “was a special needs dog” for the autistic son of the owner of the dog and had “just given birth to three puppies, two weeks ago.”

Some users reacted to the post by threatening to kill the man who killed the dog, prompting a response by the Henry County Police Department, which stated: “For those of you harassing/threatening a man for being attacked by a dog: Stop.”

The owner of the dog, Nala, told WSB-TV that he left her in a garage outside his house with her puppies and the door cracked open.

“If I ever thought she was going to bite, she would never have been able to get in the front yard. There’s no justice for my dog,” Nala’s owner said. “The number zero on how many times this dog has bit anybody and we have a dead dog.”

Police said after an investigation that the man who killed the dog would not be charged while Animal Care and Control said after an investigation that the man would not be charged with animal cruelty.

“The Animal Care and Control Department conducted an investigation into possible Animal Cruelty charges,” Henry County Animal Control Director Gerri Yoder told the Herald. “After meeting with multiple witnesses as well as the dog’s owner, our department will not be pursuing charges.”

“No charges will be filed against the dog owner nor the complainant in reference to being attacked by the dog,” added Henry County Police Department spokesman Capt. Joey Smith.

According to the county’s animal control ordinance: “No person shall be liable for killing or otherwise performing a cruel action on any dog when such person is: defending his or her person or property, or the person or property of another from injury or damage being cause(d) by a dog; or defending against injury or damage to any livestock, poultry or pet animal.”

Animal Control officials told WSB-TV that the dog being off its leash contributed greatly to no charges being filed against the neighbor.

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments