A Stockbridge man said he had no choice but to shoot a pit bull that attacked and killed his much smaller Yorkie during a Sunday morning walk.
Emir Williams said he was walking his dog, Boogie, when a neighbor’s pit bull ran up and attacked the 7-year-old dog along Winbrook Drive.
“I pretty much went into defense mode and tried to free my dog from the jaws of this pit bull,” said Williams, who retrieved a gun from his home and shot the larger dog several times.
When it was all said and done, both dogs were dead, he told Channel 2 Action News.
“I miss him dearly. That’s my dog right there,” Williams told the news station. “I love him to death.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Izell Granville, the owner of the pit bull, said he bought Champ for his son about five years ago. He said he regrets that the dog escaped from his family’s yard, but doesn’t believe Williams should have shot and killed it.
“This is not the case of a negligent owner. This is not the case of a vicious dog,” he said. “It’s understandable for him to be mad but we still have to have some type of restraint.”
Williams said it was “only a matter of time” before the pit bull attacked a child in the neighborhood.
Animal control said it cited Granville’s relatives with public nuisance and failure to restrain the dog since they were looking after the pit bull at the time, Channel 2 reported.
Stockbridge councilman Elton Alexander said Sunday’s attack, which was in his neighborhood, has prompted him to introduce a “vicious dog ordinance” calling for hefty fines for dog owners whose pets get out and attack people or other animals.
“We’ll put the onus on responsible dog ownership,” Alexander said Thursday. “We want the dog owners to be responsible (and) we want them to be held accountable ... You have to understand that could have been a child. That could have been my granddaughter.”
The pit bull Williams shot is being tested for rabies, authorities said.
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