Dog killing near Grayslake stuns shelter staff

Staff members from Save-A-Pet No-Kill Adoption center are seeking justice for a dog shot and killed not far from their shelter near Grayslake.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting.

Dana Deutsch, shelter manager, witnessed the shooting after staff had spent the day trying to capture the 40-pound terrier that had apparently been dropped at the shelter early Tuesday with a bag of food and a few toys.

Deutsch said in an interview Thursday night that she had met with county detectives. In a news release the Lake County Sheriff's Department said the issue had been turned over to criminal investigations.

"Like most people, I am a dog lover," Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said. "Cruelty to animals can sometimes lead to cruelty to people."

Here is Deutsch's story: On Tuesday afternoon she drove around looking for the dog in an area where he had just been seen. She eventually saw the dog in a field behind a house. But just then she heard a gunshot. She heard a second shot, then saw a man with a rifle inside a house and heard a third shot. He was shooting out the back of his house, she said.

"I was pounding on the door and shouting at him that he was shooting my dog. He said 'I'm not shooting at a dog, I'm shooting at something in my yard.'" Then Deutsch saw the dog in the field and ran to him while calling the police.

"There was blood everywhere. His neck was covered in blood."

Employees of the Round Lake Public Works Department, who had chased a coyote away from the dog earlier in the day, helped her get him to her van.

Deutsch said it probably was not very smart to confront the man with the gun.

"All I was thinking about was the dog. Honest to God. My passion is these animals. We had been trying all day to save that dog's life. He didn't deserve that."