Roxy, a 6-year-old German Shepherd mix, was tied to a tree and shot dead on July 14, according to the Cortland County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies arrested Jeffery P. Brown, 37, of Cincinnatus, and charged him with killing the dog. Brown told authorities he believed the dog was killing his chickens.
The dog's owner, Kierra Mack, 21, of East Freetown, said there is no proof her dog killed the chickens.
The woman's father, Matt Mack, had brought the dog to a campground on her uncle's property seven miles from their home, she said. He tied Roxy to a tree while he worked on filling in potholes, and when he looked back up, the dog was gone, she said.
Matt Mack went looking for the dog, and he encountered Brown about half a mile from the uncle's property. Brown held out a dead chicken, saying the dog had killed it, and Matt Mack apologized, Kierra Mack said. Then he asked where Roxy was.
" 'You're not getting your dog back,' " she said Brown told her dad.
Matt Mack called the police.
Brown was arrested for felony aggravated animal cruelty. He is scheduled to appear before the Cincinnatus Town Court Aug. 7 to answer the charges.
Brown found the dog with part of a chicken in its mouth, according to police.
Kierra Mack suspects her dog had simply picked up a chicken that was already dead. She said her father had spotted a flattened, dead chicken in the road while talking to Brown.
Kierra Mack disputed Brown's contention to police that Roxy had attacked several chickens over time. The dog hadn't been near Brown's property in over a year prior to the day it was shot, she said. Other than that day, the dog was 7 miles away, confined to a 100-foot dog run connected to their house.
"We'll never know what happened," Kierra Mack said. "I guess this was her purpose in life — to teach people about animal cruelty."
(Syracuse.com - July 23, 2013)
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