Shot neighbor's dog Norfolk, VA (US) Incident Date: Sunday, Mar 9, 2003 County: Norfolk City Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Michael L. McLeod Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 958 Classification: Shooting Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in VA (US) Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Login to Watch this Case

A man charged with fatally shooting his neighbor's black Labrador is the first in the city to be arrested under the new felony cruelty-to-animals statute, police said.

Michael L. McLeod, 33, of the 400 block of Forrest Ave., said incessant barking was the motive for the weekend shooting, according to city police.

McLeod could face up to five years in prison, a $2,500 fine or both, police said.

The 7-year-old lab named Rex, belonged to Gene Hitchings, a retired Norfolk Water Department worker.  It was in Hitchings fenced back yard at around 10:45 a.m. Mar ch 9, 2003 when Hitchings' wife, Fannie, heard their dog yelping.  Rex died shortly after. Later, a necropsy at a veterinary clinic confirmed suspicions that Rex had been shot.

After an investigation involving police and animal control officers, McCleod was charged later that day.

The Hitchingses said Rex sometimes barked at people and dogs wandering free in their Glenwood Park neighborhood, by the Norfolk Naval Station. But they said they did not think his barking was a problem.

McLeod was free on $2,500 bond, said Don Bolger of the sheriff's department. He also faces a misdemeanor count of discharging a firearm in public, according to police records.
Anyone experiencing a problem with a dog should let the owner know, police spokesman Chris Amos said. If the owner does nothing, he said, the next step is to call police.

Animal-control officers will make the owner aware of the complaint but will not impound barking dogs, according to the police department.

If a problem persists, a nuisance charge can be pursued against the owner through a magistrate, police said.

"In this case, we didn't have any calls that he initiated," Amos said.

The Hitchingses said another man in McLeod's house had complained to them about Rex's barking last year. They never had a subsequent complaint, they said.

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