Man pleads not guilty to shooting his dog

Associated Press

TOLEDO

An Ohio man has pleaded not guilty to shooting his German shepherd named Sarge.

The attorney for Lawrence Mick, 57, said Mick loves his dog and instead blamed Mick’s friend, Adam Collins, 35, for the shooting that left the dog with six gunshot wounds.

Police say that Mick and Collins took turns shooting the dog with a pistol while the dog howled in his cage. Mick told officers that the dog had bitten him. The dog survived six .25-caliber bullets.

Collins pleaded no contest last week, but said Mick panicked and shot the dog when he tried to escape from his cage.

Prosecutors have asked that Sarge stay at the Lucas County pound until police can identify the gun that shot him. A dog warden says Sarge is too dangerous to take for walks because he growls and attempts to bite.

A neighbor had called 911 when she heard the dog’s first yelp after he was shot.

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