Krissy Dashner and Pat Bates are mourning the loss of their golden retriever, Walle, who was shot and killed after getting loose in Lakeville.

Walle got loose on Sunday and was shot five times by a neighbor who said Walle "looked aggressive," Dashner wrote on Facebook.

Bates wrote that Walle was not an aggressive dog.

"I am so very heartbroken. My beautiful Walle was shot to death tonight. I can't even believe this," Dashner wrote. "What is this world coming to."

Dashner did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.

She wrote on Facebook that Lakeville police have started a criminal investigation in the death of Walle.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dashner and Bates did not publicly identify the neighbor who shot the dog, but the blog Turtleboy Sports identified the man as Mark Vasseur. Multiple television news stations only identified the man as Mark.

The man told CBS Boston that he heard commotion near his chicken coop and grabbed his gun before going outside.

He told the news station that the dog was growling and that he "just attacked us and there was nothing I could do."

In an interview with Boston 25 News, Mark said that Walle killed one of his chickens, and that "he doesn't regret his actions."

Vasseur did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dashner wrote that the story was in the news so people could be aware of the "danger and this awful thing that has happened."

"We are devastated," she wrote. "Thank you again for all the love and support Walle is missed so much."