GILPIN COUNTY, Colo. - A Colorado man is being charged with a felony count of aggravated animal cruelty and petty theft, after he shot his neighbor's dog and buried it.
Eric Miller, 53, was arrested after he allegedly shot his neighbor's dog multiple times when it walked onto his property. Miller then buried the dog, and lied to his neighbor about the encounter.
"It really messed me up," Josh Davis, the dog's owner, told Fox 31 Denver. "You wouldn't think someone would shoot your dog."
Davis said that his dog, Ragnar, is friendly and never had an issue with neighbors.
When Davis let the dog outside two weeks ago, his roommate said he heard gunshots. When Ragnar didn't come home, he started to get worried.
Davis said his neighbor told him that he did not shoot the dog, but eventually he found a blood trail coming from Miller's property. Then, he found a shallow grave.
"He stuck his hands in," said Davis. "And about eight inches deep was Ragnar's body. That's a really violent, senseless act."
After hearing about the tragedy, someone gifted Davis a new puppy. He told Fox 31 that he's beginning to move forward.
"I don't want to think about seeing that guy," said Davis. "I don't want to think about seeing him."
Eric Miller was not available for comment.