May 10, 2012

The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office says a Harrisonburg Police Officer shot a family dog a few weeks ago in Clover Hill.

Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson says Sgt. Russell Metcalf admits to shooting the dog while riding his bike. Now, the dog's owners are seeking justice.

"Whether it was a police officer or not, it should not have happened," said Becky Bonds, whose parents' dog, Sadie, was shot to death outside their home.

Neighbors are shocked to hear that a Harrisonburg Police Officer is accused of pulling the trigger. "Being a police officer, if he would just shoot an animal for no reason, you have to wonder What else would they do?" said Tammy Evans.

Bonds says she would bring her dog, Cooper, to play with Sadie all the time. "He's very timid around other dogs and she really was one of the only other dogs that he would play with, just rough and tumble having fun out in the yard, having fun together."

She says Sadie was not intimidating at all. "She wasn't very big, she was maybe 20 pounds. She was on the smaller side of the border collie-lab mix and she was just really sweet."

Bonds and her parents posted flyers all over the community, asking for help to find the man who killed their dog. Now that they know who shot Sadie, Bonds says the officer should be held accountable for his actions.

"She was not mean in any way and didn't deserve this, so we hope justice is served in some way so that you know something like this doesn't happen again," said Bonds.

No charges have been filed yet. The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case.