An Albany man is charged with animal cruelty for shooting and killing his neighbor's dog. The beagle was gunned down in Tony Davis' yard in East Albany Sunday. Davis says he was defending himself, but police say he broke the law.
Tony Davis says he was protecting his chickens and his family when he shot his neighbor's dog. His ten year old son first saw the dog. "Grabbing, trying to kill the chickens," Davis said of the beagle. "He tried to shoo the dog off. The dog turned and growled at him, he ran in the house to get me."
Davis said he tried to run the dog out of his yard first. "The dog turned and had another chicken in his mouth and growled at me. So I went and got my gun, and shot at him."
Animal control officers look over Davis' yard. They charged him with animal cruelty because he shot the dog three times. Brolly the beagle's owner said Davis did not have to kill him.
"Someone that could shoot a dog three times, saying that he was protecting his property," said Jauqi Drawdy. "He could have kicked him, or shooed him away with a broom, or even yelled at him and told him to get off the property and Brolly would have just come running back."
Davis says he did not want to kill Brolly. "I have a dog. I don't want nobody to kill my dog." But it is of little comfort to the dog's owner. Drawdy said "This dog was our life; he was our son."
Davis is to answer the animal cruelty charges September 23rd in Municipal Court.
Animal control officers also warned Tony Davis that his chickens were a violation of the city code. They did not charge him when he promised to move them. It is illegal to raise chickens in the city limits for commercial purposes.
If you raise chickens for yourself, you must store them in a coop at least 25 feet from any building. And you must have a chicken coop built to handle the waste and run off. Davis did not have either.
So what's the law on other people's dogs on your property?
Albany has a leash law which means animals should be confined to their owners' property. But if a dog wanders up in your yard, you shouldn't try to injure or kill it.
"Don't go out and shoot a gun in the city or shoot another animal or human," said Animal Control SuperintendentJohnny Graddy. "You are taking a risk as it is. Make sure you call your local law enforcement officer, humane society, animal control, and let them handle the situation."
It is illegal to fire a gun in the Albany city limits. Graddy says use common sense, but you should use a gun only as a last resort. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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