In a heartbreaking story out of Des Moines, Iowa, a man allegedly shot and killed his neighbor’s dog, according to KCCI.
Dog shot by neighbor
Earlier this month, 46-year-old Ryan Krietzinger allegedly shot his neighbor’s dog with a pellet gun while the dog was on the deck in an adjacent yard in Beaverdale. A pellet got stuck between the dog’s ribs. The dog, Buddy, was a Coton de Tulear. He weighed a mere 11 pounds. Though Buddy received emergency care at a veterinary clinic, he soon died.
Police arrested Krietzinger. He faces one count of animal cruelty. The man told authorities that the little pup attacked his dog, an unidentified hunting breed, earlier in the day.
Jean Riley, the dead dog’s owner, was skeptical of that accusation. She said no such attack happened.
“I think he’s sick,” Riley said of her neighbor. “He needs a psychological evaluation. I think if he’s able to do that to an 11-pound dog, then he is probably able to do that to people.”
Buddy’s owner said that the dog suffered in pain for a full 20 minutes before it passed away.
“That’s what really makes me sick,” she said.
Investigation underway
Though Krietzinger maintains his innocence, he remains at the Polk County Jail, unable to pay bail. He told KCCI that he is not responsible for the dog’s death and doesn’t know who shot the dog. However, court records indicate Kreitzinger is the owner of two high-velocity pellet guns. Also, he did target practice against the fence with a cardboard box.
Investigators confirm that a projectile in Kreitzinger’s yard is the same style as the one that lodged in Buddy’s body.
“It’s just like losing a family member, really,” Riley said. “I don’t even know if it’s set in fully yet.”
Unfortunately, dog shootings have become all too common. In Boston, two dogs were recently shot in an apartment while police were in the process of arresting a suspect.
