Man who shot pit bull after it attacked his dog to be charged with cruelty

TEXAS -- Almost two months after the incident, a man will be charged for shooting and killing a dog at a Houston dog park earlier this year.

Joseph Potts, 26, is charged with cruelty to non-livestock animal for the Jan. 25 incident at Bay Area Dog Park. He is not yet in custody.

Investigators say Potts, a concealed handgun license holder, shot the Staffordshire bull terrier named Diesel three times with a Glock 9 mm pistol, fearing for the safety of himself and his terrier after the two dogs began fighting.

Potts could face 2-10 years in prison if found guilty of the charge.

"Animal abuse is a serious offense that will not be tolerated," Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said in a statement to the press. "We take all allegations of cruelty to animals very seriously and pursue charges whenever appropriate."

Was he supposed to wait until his dog was dead before he shot it?

(Houston Chronicle - March 9, 2015)