A Missouri family was left heartbroken after a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed their emotional support dog – a two-year-old chocolate Labrador named Nala.
Dianna Dollins said the deputy arrived at her Farmington property Sunday with her husband to ask if they had doorbell camera footage of a robbery that happened across the street earlier in the day.
But when the deputy arrived unannounced on their porch, he encountered Nala — whom the family had recently purchased as an emotional support dog for Dianna’s husband, Scottie, who was recovering from brain tumor surgery — and fired his gun.
“It’s just devastating, there’s no other word to describe it,” Dollins told KSDK.
The family now argues the officer should not have been on their property in the first place, noting he did not have a warrant and was not invited onto their land.
Nala, a two-year-old chocolate Labrador who was Scottie Dollins’ emotional support dog, was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy on Sunday
They said they didn’t even know the officer was on their property until Scottie heard the gunshots, Diane shared in a Facebook post on July 21 written by her husband.
“My husband heard the gunshots and ran out, and there she was,” the couple said, recounting how the dog was found lying in the gravel driveway with a gunshot wound to the head.
“He had already shot her. He immediately started saying that she had bitten me. He was already back at his car, in his door.”
The St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office now says the Labrador bit the deputy’s wrist and elbow, prompting the officer to fire his weapon.
Sheriff Daniel Bullock said the officer was receiving rabies shots, saying the family did not have up-to-date vaccination records for their dog.
The dog was by Scott’s side as he recovered from surgery to remove a brain tumor
They found the dog lying on the gravel driveway with a gunshot wound to the head.
The St. Francis County Ambulance District administrator also said an ambulance was dispatched to the Dollins home but was later told there were no patients at the scene.
Yet the family claims that Nala “wouldn’t hurt a fly,” and even if she had, it “did not justify shooting their dog dead.”
“She had never bitten anyone,” Dianna said, while her father, Ronald Widner, noted that “Nala welcomed everyone.”
“But the way they do it is they jump on you and their tongues wag,” he said.
“They greet people like that. I’m sure that’s what happened, and if he has a mark on him, it’s a scratch.”
The dog was adopted to provide emotional support to Scottie, who was recovering from brain tumor surgery, and was considered a member of the family.
“Nala was there for him the whole time,” Dianna said. “She slept with us every night.”
Family seeks justice for beloved dog
Nala recently had 10 puppies and was wearing a shock collar that prevented her from leaving the property at the time of the shooting.
The family is now seeking justice for their beloved pet, who recently had 10 puppies and was wearing a shock collar that prevented him from leaving the property at the time of the shooting.
“After it happened, I had no remorse,” Dianna said. “It was always ‘I did what I had to do’ with a bad attitude.”
“I don’t know if he’s a good man or a bad man, but he’s a scared man with a gun,” she added. “And I don’t think we need scared men with guns to protect our country.”
She added that the MP should have turned on his lights or honked his horn to let the family know he was there before arriving at their property.
“This man doesn’t need to have a gun,” Dianna said. “This doesn’t need to happen to anyone else.”
The sheriff’s office is now investigating the shooting, with Bullock saying his office is awaiting reports from the Farmington Police Department, which dispatched officers.
