Animal control director accused of killing hurt dog in Kentucky, dumping her in trash

A Kentucky animal control director is accused of shooting an injured dog and dumping its body in a dumpster, media outlets report.

Meanwhile, the Chihuahua’s family was searching for her.

Spencer County Animal Control Director David Wood was suspended Thursday after he killed the 9-year-old dog named Abigail, officials told the Louisville Courier Journal. An animal control officer took the dog to Wood after finding her injured from being hit by a car, the newspaper reported.

Wood is accused of shooting the dog, wrapping her in a towel and putting the body in a bag before putting in a dumpster, WAVE reported. The animal didn’t have an identification, the station reported.

“She definitely wasn’t trash,” Nancy Lewis, an owner of the dog, told WAVE. “She didn’t deserve to be thrown in the dumpster.”

Abigail had gone missing and the family was searching for her into the early morning hours, WAVE reported. A resident eventually found the injured dog and reported it to animal control, the station reported.

John Coots, an attorney representing Wood, said his client believed the dog to be suffering from serious injuries and decided to euthanize the animal, WDRB reported.

“There’s a family pet here, and it’s upsetting. There’s a lot of emotions involved,” Coots said, according to WDRB. “But as far as Mr. Wood is concerned, he didn’t do anything wrong in regard to the law.”

Kentucky law bans animals to be euthanized by gunshot unless they’re suffering from injuries, WAVE reported. Spencer County Judge Executive John Riley said the dog had serious injures to her legs and stomach, and the animal control directer decided she should be put out of her misery, WLKY reported.

But the Lewis family contends their dog could have survived, WDRB reported.

“If you see a wreck on the side of the road, you’re supposed to help people, and take them to the hospital. You don’t just kill them — you try to help,” Tommy Lewis told the Courier Journal. “In my opinion, it shouldn’t be any different for a dog.”