A 4-month-old German shepherd was shot and killed by her owner’s neighbor Monday, June 15. According to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office report, aggravated animal cruelty was unfounded because the neighbor said the dog was acting aggressively toward him.
Tana Berberette, 48, let her dog, Athena, outside to play on her property on Burnt Barn Avenue in Plant City. She said the dog had been outside for less than five minutes when she heard gunshots. She went to look for Athena, fearing that the gunshot sounds would scare her away.
Across the street, Berberette asked her neighbor, Channing Thorpe, 20, if he had seen the 32-pound dog.
“He said, ‘I shot her. She’s dead,’ Berberette said. “I just can’t wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make sense.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was called. According to the police report, filed by officer Tyler Smith, Thorpe had just pulled into his driveway and was going inside his home when Athena approached him. Under a verbal oath, Thorpe stated that the dog was being aggressive, barking at him and trying to bite him.
“It would appear that the dog was in front of Channing, not allowing Thorpe entry into his house,” the report said.
Thorpe fired three rounds from his Glock 40. The dog was struck in the leg and head. Thorpe, who said he had just come from hog hunting, has a gun in his truck for self defense, according to the report.
The dog hadn’t shown any aggression before, according to Berberette.
“She … saw his truck pull in,” Berberette said. “She always wanted to jump in and say hi … She was so little. She still had all of her puppy teeth. She was still at the age where her ears were too big for her head.”
Berberette wants to use her experience to warn other pet owners to take precautions to watch pets or keep pets leashed.
“I take responsibility for my side of it,” she said. “I failed Athena by letting her run.”
Thorpe was contacted by reporters but didn’t want to comment.
In 2012, Thorpe fatally shot his father in a domestic violence dispute. Thorpe had walked in on his father, Christopher Thorpe, strangling his mother, Jill Thorpe. No charges were filed, as the shooting was an act of self defense.