Manatee, Florida

From the Bradenton Herald of August 29, 2007

Neighbor shoots dog as it attacks puppies

A man shot his neighbor's dog that he said was attacking his three puppies, the sheriff's office reports.

In an early morning incident east of Bradenton, Willard Merchant, 18, said his neighbor's Rottweiler attacked his three puppies in his backyard, and so he injured the dog with a shotgun blast. A Manatee County Sheriff's Office report called the incident "shooting of a vicious dog."

Merchant lives in the 5200 block of 47th Street East. The shooting took place at 7:45 a.m. today.

An injured puppy died en route to a veterinarian, and the Rottweiler was treated and released, the sheriff's report said.

The Rottweiler had previously been deemed aggresssive and Animal Control responded for follow up, the report said.