Detroit, MI asked in Animal / Dog Law for Ohio

Q: Neighbor brandished handgun & threatened to kill our dog. Seven days later, they shot our dog.

Our dog is hyper, overly playful and everyone loves our dog. Just about 7 days ago, our dog wandered just 3 houses over. The guy came out with a handgun, directly aimed at the dog… in front of my kid and her friend - a few yards away.

My kid coaxed our dog away from them - traumatized and angry with these trigger happy adults. Husband went to speak with this deranged guy. He was told, “I will not hesitate to shoot to kill!”

Today, I our dog got loose and I was just about no more than 15 yards, running after this pup. I’ve yelled the dog’s name to come back and I was getting closer, there was a *bang*. Seeing the neighbor had a handgun. I found our dog bleeding out the leg and immediately went to the vet. Terrified, unsure what to do. Now I’ve got vet bills.

Now that I’ve processed this knowing (1) we did receive a threat to harm/injure or damage to property And (2) now firearm was discharged, resulting in (3) injured animal (damage to property). What should I do?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer

A: First, you should report the incident to the police. It's not clear where your dog was vis-a-vis this nut's property at the time he was shot. But unless the dog was attacking or about to attack a person, you can't just shoot them.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.