Answers sought in dog's death

STAFFORD — A man’s best friend is dead and now police are seeking answers.

A man was walking with his dog in the area of Hulls Chapel Road and Stacy Lane in Stafford County on Monday when he was approached by a stray hound. While trying to protect himself and his dog the hound bit the man and then killed his dog, said Stafford County Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy.

The victim was taken to a hospital for his injuries and is now recovering at home, said Kennedy.

Kennedy declined to release the name of the dog, but said investigators are looking for the stray, and ultimately the owner responsible for the attack. The county sheriff’s office asked the owner of the stray to come forward and contact the Stafford County Animal Control Office at (540) 658-7387.

Anyone who knows about a stray dog in the area is also encouraged to call police.

The dog’s death comes after an 11-year-old Spotsylvania boy appeared in court Monday charged with shooting his neighbor’s German Shepherd reportedly because she barked too much, according to NBC Washington.com.

The dog’s owner came home to find the dog, Molly lying on the porch with a shotgun wound on her neck. Molly was treated at a local veterinarian’s office and is expected to survive.

The boy’s mother found him to in possession of a .22 caliber rifle and then called police. She told police her son admitted shooting the dog with a gun he stole from a neighbor’s house, NBCwashington.com stated.

Police said they have not received any calls about a barking dog in the area.

The child could spend 10 years in juvenile detention for the crime, NBCwashington.com reported.

Uriah A. Kiser is a staff writer at Media General’s Stafford County Sun.