Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office refutes owner's claim that deputy shot and killed dog 'for no reason'

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office is defending the actions of a deputy who shot and killed a dog that bit him while arresting two assault suspects early Friday morning.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were arresting two felony assault suspects on the 700 block of Kathio Street in Onamia at around 1:30 a.m. The two suspects were reportedly resisting arrest.

The owner of a nearby home then came out and interfered with the incident, and his dog also came out of the house and bit one of the deputies in the calf while he was trying to arrest one of the suspects, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy, who suffered a serious leg injury, then shot the dog, which ran away and died. 

A Facebook post by the dog’s owner claims the deputy shot the dog "for no reason," also calling Mille Lacs County deputies "dog killers."

Mille Lacs County Chief Deputy Kyle Burton refuted the post on Facebook, saying the dog had been deemed “dangerous” before from previous biting incidents.  been involved in previous biting incidents.

“The deputy did not shoot this dog for no reason…,” Burton wrote. “He literally shot the dog off of his leg. None of our staff ever want to have to shoot a dog and this was a very [volatile] and dangerous situation our deputies were dealing with.”

The two suspects were eventually arrested and are currently in custody. Other charges could be filed for obstruction, the sheriff's office says.