Man charged with animal cruelty after shooting neighbor’s dog

By JT Moodee Lockman

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    Maryland (WJZ) — A Maryland man is facing animal cruelty charges for shooting a neighbor’s dog, according to Anne Arundel County Police.

Police initially received a complaint about the dog, a Belgian Malinois named Maisie, after she went missing on April 20.

An investigation led to charges for 70-year-old Robert Anthony Harley, of Harwood, police said.

Social media video shows Maisie’s last moments

Maisie’s owner, Shannon Wood, told WJZ in late April that a video circulating online showed the moments before her 1-year-old dog was shot.

According to Wood, the neighbor who shot her dog had mistaken it for a coyote.

In the video, Maisie is seen on the side of the road while people behind the camera shout, “There’s a coyote out here,” and “Where’s the shotty at, we’ll drop it.”

Maisie escaped from her owner’s yard in Davidsonville. Wood and her family posted pictures on social media and hired a drone pilot to aid in their search.

Wood’s friend later alerted her to the video on Facebook. When she arrived at the neighbor’s house, they said they had seen the dog, but it had been chased away by a coyote.

Wood told WJZ that a person from the video later called her and confessed that their relative shot Maisie because they thought she was a coyote.

“My worry at that point was she was hurt, so I said, please tell me, and they said – they confirmed – they know she’s dead,” Wood told WJZ in April.

Search for Maisie’s body continues

Maisie’s body has not been found, and police are searching for more information in this case.

“I’ve, over and over, asked to have her body, but they say that it’s gone,” said Wood. “It just disappeared.”

According to Wood, Maisie was friendly and was in the process of becoming a service dog.

“She wasn’t far from home, she was right there, and I just didn’t believe anybody would shoot her,” Wood said. “You know, if you thought she was a threat, and you had your kids, or you thought she was a coyote, call 911.”

Anyone who has a tip is asked to call Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-1960.

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