CALIFORNIA -- A 4-year-old family pet was shot and killed by a dog owner who says he was attacked Monday.
Sacramento Sheriff's deputies called the dead dog a pit bull, but the owner of the the dog says it was an American Bully, a relatively new American Kennel Club breed that, according to websites, is gentler than a Pit bull.
[There is no AKC recognized breed called an American Bully. What kind of sloppy reporting is this? And "according to websites"... what sites? The owner's breeder site where he shills these non-AKC registered puppies and stud services?]
Although it is smaller and more squat, it has a large head and resembles the notorious pit bull.
Several squad cars resonded to a call of shots fired at a house. When they arrived, Applebottom was found dead on the porch of a house across from Tamarindo Park.
"When we responded, we found out that the citizen actually did have a concealed weapon permit and that the Pitbull was aggressive toward the citizen,' said Sgt. Deborah Johnson.
Applebottom's owner, who raised it from birth, said she was not aggressive toward his four children and may have been excited. But he said she was gentle and not dangerous. He owns Reliance Kennels which he operates out of his house. He said Applebottom got loose as his family was unloading groceries from their car.
The man that shot Applebottom was walking his chihuahua around the park. Deptuies took his .38 caliber revolver as evidence. A bullet lay on the sidewalk where the confrontation happened as well as a trail of blood that lead to the porch.
"It appeared that the dog went back and tried to scratch at the door to get in, but it didn't survive," said Johnson.
The owner, who was too upset to be interviewed on camera said the shooter stood on the corner for several minutes watching his family unload the car. He did not believe the shooter's motive because he could have just walked away if he felt threatened.
Sgt. Johnson said the unidentified man was very sorry he had to kill the dog and that no crime was committed.
"It appears to be may be a civil matter if the owner wants to take it civilly. However, he had rights to have his weapon and it appeared to be attacking him and his dog," said Johnson.
(KTXL - January 2, 2012)
