NAPLES, Fla. — A Collier County deputy shot and killed a dog on Sunday afternoon after the Sheriff’s Office said the dog charged at them. Neighbors in the area say this isn’t the first time they have encountered the dogs they call aggressive.
Fox 4 Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp explains what she uncovered about the investigation:
Collier County deputies say they got eight 911 calls about four dogs chasing people. At one point, someone reported that they were trying to go after children.
“These German Shepherds are like attacking us to kill. It’s so scary,” one caller said.
“I’m afraid someone’s going to get attacked…it’s only a matter of time,” another caller said.
When deputies got to the area of Pearl Harbor Drive, the sheriff’s office says as the deputy was talking to a neighbor, one of the dogs charged at them in “an aggressive manner.”
The sheriff’s office says the deputy shot and killed the dog because they were “faced with an imminent threat to his safety.” The deputy was not hurt.
Fox 4 obtained exclusive photos and videos of the dogs before the shooting.
Records Knapp discovered say a woman was also attacked after the dogs ran into her garage the day of the shooting.
The owner of the dogs, according to the code enforcement complaint, lives on the same road where the shooting took place.
Neighbors, who did not want to go on camera out of fear of retaliation, say this isn’t the first time the same dogs have been out.
The day before, the neighbors called 911 and reported the dogs, accusing them of attacking people.
“They’ve gone after a bicyclist, they just attacked another dog that was walking on a leash,” one caller said. They later went on to say they helped the person and guided them through their backyard.
“Three German Shepherds come charging at us,” the person said.
On Sunday, in the second round of 911 calls, many said the sheriff’s office and animal services did not come out on Saturday, expressing frustration to dispatchers.
When Knapp was in the area, she heard dogs barking at the home. She asked Collier County if the other dogs were seized, have they been to the home before or if any criminal charges will be filed.
As of Monday evening, a spokesperson said they are “unable to release any information and will refrain from further comment until the investigation concludes.”
According to County Code, an owner can face violations if an animal is running “at large.”
It’s also a violation if they snap, growl, jump or threaten someone on a property.
Fox 4 will continue to push for answers.
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