According to a Walker County Sheriff’s Office incident report, On Thursday, July 13th, 2023, at 7:41 PM, Corporal Russ and Walker County Animal Control received a call from a man who stated a dog had been shot multiple times and was hiding underneath his truck extremely scared attempting to hide from any further danger. Deputy Russ arrived and observed a large brown Pyrenees mix dog hiding under the vehicle. Deputy Russ reported, “[I] could see that it was seriously injured. It appeared to have a gunshot wound to the abdomen. [I] also observed that its jaw was blown off and barley hanging onto the body. The animal had very labored breathing, choking on it’s own blood, and it was obviously suffering in extreme pain. Animal Control Supervisor Clements then arrived on the scene along with the dog owner Mary Kathleen Howard, 39, of LaFayette. Howard stated to Deputy Russ and animal control that she had shot the dog and stated that she had tried multiple times to get rid of it, but no one wanted the dog. According to the report, “She stated that she had come over to finish the dog off. However, she did not bring a weapon to dispatch the animal. She stated that she shot the dog twice with two rounds of .308.” Mary advised officers that she suspected the dog of killing one of her roosters. She stated she is a very busy person and can not afford to put up a fence for the dog. She stated when she saw the dog walking in the yard, she shot the dog twice, once in the head and once in the side. She stated she was going to fire her weapon again but didn’t due to houses being in the area. She stated people had told her the animal shelters were all full. Mary then stated that she did not wish to make statements anymore so she wouldn’t incriminate herself. Deputy Russ reported, “She also later made the comment that people in Walker County apparently care more about animals than people, as she was frustrated that her being arrested would interfere with her life.” Animal Control Officer Clements advised the dog could not be saved, and the deputy dispatch the dog due to it being in an immense amount of pain. Animal Control Director Mitchell also responded to the scene and assisted. Officers and deputies concluded that the dog did not pose an imminent threat to any person: animal, or property, and the dog was not humanely euthanized. She made the decision to shoot the dog instead of calling animal control, taking it to the vet to have them humanely euthanize the dog, or other practical, humane means. The choice she made caused the dog to suffer an unnecessary, extremely painful death. Officer Clements advised Deputy Russ this was one of the worst things she had ever seen in her nearly decade in Animal Control. Mary was placed under arrest for felony aggravated animal cruelty. Mary’s husband was extremely upset that the suspect was going to jail. Deputy Russ reported, “He stated “We put down dogs around here that kill chickens.” he stated later that sometimes you have to kill to save lives, attempting to completely justify Mary shooting the dog and causing it to suffer.” Mary was booked into the Walker County Jail, charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty and felony possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Mary was released on July 14th on a property bond.
LaFayette woman charged with aggravated animal cruelty in Walker County
