An Elyria man has been charged after he allegedly shot and killed his neighbor's dog that was attacking his puppy on Monday afternoon.
According to a police report, 28-year-old Timothy J. Kilgore was charged with one count of cruelty to animals.
The shooting took place on Jan. 8 just before 3 p.m. on the 220 block of Brace Avenue.
Kilgore's wife told police she let their German shepherd puppy outside into the backyard, and the neighbor's Siberian husky stuck its head through the fence and attacked the dog.
She screamed and ran to get the German shepherd. Killgore grabbed his shotgun, went outside and fired one shot at the husky, she told police.
According to the report, the husky's owner said she heard a gunshot and then a whimper come from her dog. When she went outside she found her dog dead in the driveway.
The husky's owner said there had been prior issues with her dog and the neighbor's animals. Previously, one of Kilgore's dogs had stuck its tail through the fence that separated the two backyards and her husky bit the animal's tail, the report said.
Since that time, the husky's owner has tried not to let her dog outside at the same time as Kilgore's dogs. She told police "their dogs are always outside," and the Kilgore family was not very cooperative with her about having their animals outside, according to the report.
Kilgore told police he had just returned home from the store and heard his wife screaming from the backyard. When he looked outside he saw the neighbor's husky biting his dog and trying to pull the German shepherd through the fence.
The report states Kilgore grabbed his shotgun, went outside and fired one shot. Afterwards, he put the weapon back inside and contacted police, who told him to wait outside with his hands in the air until they showed up.
When authorities arrived, Kilgore voluntarily surrendered to police.
The report states Kilgore's dog received an injury to its paw and a was missing tooth from the altercation.
Nemo's owner Vicki Galloway told News 5 that killing her dog went way too far.
"That's way beyond anything that needs to be done. I can't describe how anybody would even think of doing that," Galloway said.
Kilgore's wife Kristen Kilgore said her husband was just trying to protect their dog Jaxx.
""There was so much I was trying to do to get their dog to release my dog, but he wouldn't. The neighbors just stood there and watched it happen and didn't do anything. This is all so hard," Kilgore said.
