Scappoose, Oregon

From Portland’s KATU.com of March 22, 2007

Neighbor claims he fatally shot dog in self defense

Police don't believe charges will be brought against a Scappoose man who fatally shot his neighbor's Rottweiler.

The 4-year-old dog, named Dozer, died at DoveLewis Animal Hospital in Portland following the Wednesday night shooting.

The neighbor, Harold Peck, is claiming he shot the dog in self defense.

He told investigators that he and his 3-year-old son were trapped in their car as Dozer snarled outside. After they made it inside the home, Peck grabbed a gun before he went out to his mailbox. He shot Dozer on a driveway he shares with the family of the dog's owner.

Peck told investigators the dog charged him from about 70 yards away. When it got to about 10 feet away and still didn't stop, Peck shot the dog, according to Roger Kadell of Columbia County Animal Control.

Kadell said the dog's owner, Don Reed, had been warned last year to control his Rottweiler.

Following the shooting, Reed claimed the shooting was unjustified.

According to Reed, Dozer was barking at a neighbor and the neighbor pulled out a pistol and shot the dog. "I just saw blood running down his chest and I said 'you shot my dog, didn't you?" Reed said. "I can't believe it - just because he was barking at him."

It will be up to the district attorney to decide whether to press criminal charges. But the animal control officer said that in similar cases the use of force has been upheld.