The Crawford County man admitted he killed the pit-bull because it was aggressive. He also threatened to send the dog's head back to the owner.
GRAYLING -- Update: Wednesday 3:15 PM: Dan Kelley, the owner of the dog, said the man responsible for shooting and decapitating the dog was Kelley's adopted brother. The two had a falling out recently and Kelley was in the process of moving out of the house they shared. As he was moving, he left Smokey the dog with his brother for a short time, which is when the incident took place.
According to Kelley, the brother told him that the dog had to put down "peacefully", not mentioning anything about the decapitation. They later found the body and realized there was no head. The head was later dropped at the stop sign on the corner of Stephan Bridge Rd. and North Down River Rd.
Kelley described Smokey as "so harmless" saying that one of his tricks was to eat a french fry out of Kelley's 4-year-old daughter's mouth.
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A family pet is at the center of disturbing controversy in Crawford County after it was shot by a man claiming the dog was aggressive. After the dog was shot the suspect called the dog's owner and threatened to send the animal's head to be mounted.
Deputies were called to Wilcox Bridge Rd. and Jones Lake Rd. in Grayling Twp. Sunday on the animal cruelty case. Investigators were shown the body of the 6-year-old pit-bull named Smokey, with bullet wounds. The dog's head was cut off and not with the body.
The dog's head was located Tuesday morning near a stop sign at the intersection of Stephan Bridge Rd. and North Down River Rd.
The suspect allegedly contacted the dog's owner earlier by phone and left a message stating that he killed the dog. The suspect stated that the head had been taken to have it processed to return to the owner much like someone would do with a trophy animal mount.
The Deputy handling the case contacted the suspect by phone and he admitted to the crime stating that the dog was aggressive with everyone and "had to be put-down." He also admitted to the statement made to the dog's owner as returning the head as a "remembrance".
The dog owner's sister, Jeniffer Price, said the following in a message with 7&4: "This whole thing has taken its toll on our family. Lots of lost sleep and much crying. Smokey was an amazing dog. He was my brother's best friend, his kid. One of the family."
The incident is still under investigation and will be forwarded to the Prosecutor for criminal charges.
For the full, uncut interview with the dog's owner, click here.
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