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Last updated on Thursday, October 2, 2014
(SHELBYVILLE) - A pit bull is quarantined in its Shelby County home after it bit a young boy and a neighbor took action by shooting the dog.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon on West Franklin Street in Shelbyville.
But the dog's owner and the man who shot the pit bull following the attack are going back and forth over how all this went down.
"I think its just everybody frowns upon pit bulls," said Trevor Brown, the dog's owner.
"No child needs to be mauled or bitten by an aggressive animal," said Doug Castle who lives across the street and shot the dog.
Castle says when he returned home Sunday afternoon neighborhood youth were playing football in the field behind his house, he says one of them said they were bit by the dog named Zeus.
"No dog should go approach a child and bite him in the back of the leg just because he's trying to play football you know," said Castle.
"My dog is the most lovable pit bull ever," said Brown
Castle says the dog was being aggressive, and says he pulled out his hand gun and shot it in the leg.
"I shot it twice when it lunged at me. Basically there was no stopping it, it was coming at me, it was growling, teeth showing," said Castle.
But Brown says Zeus has never shown its teeth, and says if he did bite the teenager, he must've been provoked.
"I understand he might have been playing at first cause Zeus is a very playful dog and they took it too far, kicked him hit or something and then he bit. That's what i think," said Brown.
Animal control has one previous complaint about Zeus roaming the neighborhood on record. But Castle says Zeus has been left to roam the neighborhood on many occasions.
No one was home at the Brown's Sunday when this bite happened. Brown says he doesn't know how he could've gotten out. But while we were there we saw only palettes covering a hole in the fence.
"Its irresponsibility to have your aggressive dog wandering around the neighborhood when you're not home," said Castle.
"We've always had animals and they're good with us and we're good with them. i don't understand why they're saying that," said Brown.
A hearing is scheduled for October 6 to determine how the city will proceed. Zeus could could either remain with the family, or the city could take ownership of him. The city could also vote to put Zeus down but that's unlikely because that prior incident wasn't violent in nature.
Castle says he wants the dog gone, saying he doesn't think people should live in fear. He's also asking city government for additional ordinances to deal with dogs once they become aggressive
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