Dansville Dog Shooting Enrages Animal Rights Advocates

DANSVILLE – A web petition page for the dog that was horrifically shot and killed by a neighbor has gone viral since Monday, with more than 1,000 people having ‘liked’ the Facebook page.

The page says that someone shot and killed their German Shepherd, Emmitt, on October 2 at 1 p.m. The petition web page was set up the day after the alleged crime, calling for law enforcement to arrest their neighbor and charge him with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, as well as firearms charges.

“We just want to be there for the family,” said Erica Cortese, 42, a “Justice for Emmitt” page administrator from Rochester. “We went and asked Dansville Police Chief Perkins for a copy of the Police Report, and he told us it wasn’t ready.”

There have been no charges filed thus far, and Dansville Police did not return multiple requests for comment.

The petition web page says that Hall’s decision to shoot was completely uncalled for, and demands that Hall be prosecuted.

“Emmitt was out in our fenced yard, and somehow got loose from his eight foot, double latched fenced yard,” states the petition page. “Our neighbor, who states he was running late to pick up his son and that Emmitt would not allow him to leave, went inside his residence to call the police, returned outside, and shot Emmitt.”

The page goes on to say that their neighbor needs to be charged with “discharging a firearm and animal aggravated cruelty.”

Though New York State Police Officials did confirm that they responded to the scene, both State Police and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office stated that they are not handling the investigation.

“At this point, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has not been contacted on the matter,” said Sheriff Thomas Dougherty. “We are not part of this investigation, nor has our office been asked to participate.”

Cortese, who also advocated for Diablo, a dog that was shot and killed by police in Monroe County, alleges that a long standing feud between two neighbors is at the heart of the matter, and that Emmitt was not a vicious dog.

“After the family got a ‘Dog at large’ ticket they spent a lot of money to fence in Emmitt,” added Cortese, “the neighbor is trying to claim the dog was trying to attack him, but why would he come back outside after calling 911 and then shoot the dog?”

Until an official police report is obtained, the GeneseeSun.com will not release the names of the dog’s owners.

PHOTO CAPTION: Image from Justice for Emmitt Facebook page.