The incident happened in a yard outside Little Rock, Arkansas, and the deputy involved has been fired.
An Arkansas sheriff's deputy has been fired after shooting a Chihuahua in the head point-blank.
Deputy Keenan Wallace's partner claimed the deputy shot the Chihuahua, named Reese's, in self-defense. “That dog has never attacked anyone,” the dog's owner, Doug Canady, said.
It happened in a yard outside Little Rock. Deputies were called by a neighbor who claimed the dog was being aggressive.
But Canady told Inside Edition that his dog wasn't being aggressive.
"I spent two combat tours in Iraq, that was the first time I feared for my life," he said of the moment Reese's was shot. The dog fortunately survived.
The deputy, who was also a member of the K-9 unit and deals with dogs every day, was fired.
"I believe there were numerous opportunities to deescalate the incident," Sheriff Tim Ryals said in a statement.
Ryals also issued an apology to Canady, saying the department and its employees “apologize for any distress and disappointment this incident has caused anyone who was affected by this disheartening event.”
But Canady still doesn't understand why Wallace opened fire. "We have mailmen, meter readers, all of these individuals deal with dogs on a daily basis – they are not shooting dogs!" he said.
Canady has shared video of Reese’s recovering in the hospital.
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