LIVONIA, Mich. – A Livonia man said a contractor shot and killed his dog after stepping into his yard while working outside his neighbor's house.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. Friday in Angling Street near 8 Mile Road. The homeowner said his dog was sitting in his usual spot in the front yard when the contractor, who was working in the yard next door, stepped into his yard.

The dog barked when the contractor stepped into the man's yard, and within seconds, the homeowner said he heard a single gunshot.

Police said the question is whether the worker followed procedures by killing the dog.

"It's terrible," said Douglas Eiben, the dog's owner. "It should never happen."

Emotions are still raw for the family, which loved Kadie, the 4-year-old Dutch-German shepherd mix.

"I'm so upset," Eiben said. "I'm hurt because if he would have missed that dog, that shell and that gun was in my direction. It could have been me. That's the thing that I'm so upset about it."

Eiben said he heard his dog bark just as he stepped out his front door and into the driveway.

"I heard a pop and saw the dog laying on the ground," Eiben said.

The single gunshot was fired by a Corby Energy contractor who was doing work on the other side of the fence.

"Why are you crossing through yards?" Eiben said. "You're supposed to use front entrances."

The worker crossed into Eiben's front yard by cutting through a fence. When he did, he was met by Kadie, but little did he know the dog wore a shock collar.

"She knows the boundary of where to go," Eiben said. "She won't cross that line."

The yard is protected by an invisible fence, which allowed Kadie to roam within limits.

When asked why he shot the dog, the worker said he feared for his safety, but the family doesn't understand why the man was carrying a gun on the job or why he fired so quickly.

"The dog only barked twice, then it popped," Eiben said. "It wasn't three to four seconds. She was doing her job protecting our property. That's what she was here for."

Corby Energy said the field data collector was performing pole survey work for AT&T when the shooting happened.

The company released a statement with six bullet points. You can read the statement below:

We expect our employees to comply with all applicable laws.

We are aware of the situation, reviewing the circumstances and surrounding facts, and conducting our own investigation. Once that investigation is complete, the Company will determine whether any additional action regarding its employee is necessary.

We've instructed our employee to fully comply with local police in all respects, if requested.

The Company is also prepared to fully cooperate with the police, if requested.

At this stage, the Company has not been advised by the police as to whether they believe that any laws have been violated.