Man Shoots, Kills Neighbor’s Dog

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STATESVILLE, NC — Statesville Police say a man who shot and killed his neighbor’s dog did it in self-defense.

“Bear” broke off his tether Wednesday night and ran over to David Smith’s yard.  Smith retired form the Statesville Police Department in 1991.  Bear’s owner, Daryl Cobb, tells WCCB Charlotte the dog has never been aggressive.

Cobb says this is what he would have done if a neighbor’s dog ran into his yard: “There’s no way if his dog broke loose and came over to my yard, I would, the first thing I would think was to shoot him.  Even if he was aggressive, I would go in the house, call the animal shelter.  There’s other ways.”

Cobb calls Bear a family member and says his next step will be to bury him.  The police describe the dog as a pit bull, but Cobb says he was a Labrador.