Man shoots, kills neighbor's puppy for defecating in his yard

FINLEY, Wash. -- A Washington man admits he shot and killed a neighbor's dog after he caught it defecating on his property, KEPR-TV reports.

Kathy Davis says her family's Australian Shepherd found a hole in the fence. The six-month-old puppy escaped and began playing in Otis McCulley's yard.

McCulley saw the dog and says it looked like the dog was "about to poop," so he grabbed his gun and opened fire.

"I shot the (expletive) thing," the 82-year-old admitted to news reporters, adding he's shot other dogs in the past for relieving themselves on his property.

The family vet says McCulley used a hollow point 22 round which ruptured the dog's colon. The puppy, which belonged to Davis' 10-year-old son, died at the vet's office.

Davis said her family didn't know there was a hole in the fence and would have quickly fixed it if McCulley had simply told them.

The county prosecutor is now considering animal cruelty charges against McCulley. The family is already pursing legal action in civil court.