17-year-old Michael George was arrested last week and is an animal cruelty charge for allegedly shooting and killing a dog he was pet sitting.
SAN ANTONIO — Animal advocates are hoping the justice system will hold an accused dog killer, accountable.
17-year-old Michael George was arrested last week and is an animal cruelty charge for allegedly shooting and killing a dog he was pet sitting.
George has since bonded out. His bond was set to $15,000.
“I wish I could say I was shocked but in San Antonio, that kind of stuff is actually happening quite often, it’s just people aren’t getting caught doing it,” Jenna Loos said.
Jenna Loos is an animal advocate who works alongside several local rescues. She said animal abuse is prevalent in Bexar County but in this case, she said she is grateful there were witnesses who reported it.
“You don’t know if the situation is just going to escalate form there,” Loos said. “If that person doesn’t get caught, are they gonna do it to another animal or are they going to move onto a person?”
According to the arrest warrant, On December 29, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office was called out to a far west Bexar County neighborhood after multiple people witnessed the teen driving a motorcycle while dragging a dog by its leash.
It states one witness saw the teen walk into a wooded area then heard three to four gunshots. The warrant states the witnesses confronted the teen separately and he admitted to killing the animal to them. But he claimed it was because the dog bit his family member. It states the story he gave to each witness was not consistent.
Investigators found the dog shot and killed in the woods. It states when they went to George’s house to question him, he changed his story multiple times.
The warrant sates he claimed he was dog sitting for a friend and the dog “caused a lot of damage.” He then offered to rehome the pet to a family he knew. The owner told investigators they agreed and “did not think anything of it.”
Instead, deputies said he bought a $300 stolen gun and shot the dog four times then dumped the gun into Medina Lake.
“I’m hoping that this really put it into picture that you can’t, you’re gonna get caught and you’re going to go to jail for it,” Loos said.
Animal cruelty is a third degree felony with punishment that ranges from two to 10 years in prison.