An Erie County man was arraigned in court this week after he allegedly shot his dog in the head with a rifle. According to Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane, 62-year-old Dennis Rutkowski of Hamburg faces a Class E felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals under New York Ag & Markets Law, plus misdemeanor counts of prohibited use of weapons and 4th-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Hamburg Town Police were called to a residence on West Canyon Drive to conduct a welfare check shortly after 9:30 AM last Sunday and allegedly saw an injured dog in the back yard. Rutkowski is accused of intentionally causing serious physical injury by shooting his seven-year-old male German Shepherd, as well as intentionally discharging his rifle near other occupied residences. The injured dog, named Sky, was taken to a local veterinary hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound to the face. As of Tuesday, he was in the custody and care of the SPCA Serving Erie County.
Rutkowski is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, July 30th for a felony hearing. He was released under the supervision of the Erie County Probation Department.
Photo by the Erie County District Attorney's Office
