Roxy

Roxy, a 9-year-old Rottweiler mix was shot and killed by a garbage collector on July 6.

(Courtesy photo)

JACKSON, MI - A dog was shot and killed by a garbage collector on Euclid Street on Monday night, police said.

Jackson police Deputy Chief John Holda said officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Euclid Street for the shooting at 5:44 p.m. July 6.

Marc Boyer said he and his 9-year-old Rottweiler-Labrador mix, Roxy, were in his driveway when he was about to light a grill to cook some chicken that evening. Then the Modern Waste Systems garbage truck pulled up to his residence around 6 p.m. Monday night.

"The garbage truck pulled up. ... Roxy growled and she started to bark and before she even got the bark out the garbage man shot her three times in the head," Boyer said.

Boyer said his dog was about 12 to 15 feet away from the man when he fired. After the dog was shot, Boyer said he was very emotional and verbally confronted the man until the police arrived.

Holda said the suspect remained at the scene until police arrived and told the responding officers the dog had been growling and attempting to bite him. He said the suspect had a concealed pistol license, and his gun was taken by the officers.

Philip Duckham, owner of Modern Waste Systems, said while his company "does not condone this action," he is looking into the incident further before deciding if any action against the employee is necessary. He said he was unaware his employee was a CPL holder, let alone armed at work.

"This isn't our company policy by any stretch of the imagination," Duckham said. "The fact that he had a firearm surprised me."

Boyer said the man who shot his dog had been picking up the trash from his home where he and his girlfriend, Kim Houvner, live for several months. He said a week prior to the shooting, the man had walked up behind the dog while she was lying in the driveway and "freaked out" when the animal stood up and began barking.

Duckham said the employee relayed a different scenario from the previous incident. He said the employee stated the dog charged at him and had to be contained by the owner but was still aggressively advancing toward him, and he felt the need to shield himself from the animal with the garbage can.

Since the shooting occurred after the garbage service's office hours, Duckham said he spoke with his employee briefly over the phone Monday night. Duckham said he was informed that the man had looked for the dog before approaching the house but when he neared the garbage can, the dog then charged out from the garage.

Boyer said neither himself nor Houvner has received any notice from Modern Waste Systems regarding issues with Roxy.

Duckham said in his 45 years of working in the waste management industry, he has never had to deal with an incident like this.

Boyer said he adopted Roxy when she was a puppy from the SPCA and said she had never had an issue with aggression.

Houvner said she has been a victim of dog attacks in the past and when she started dating Boyer two years ago, she was nervous to meet Roxy but was quickly put at ease by the dog's "gentle" temperament.

"When I first met Roxy, she was the sweetest, kindest, just gentle baby. I just wanted to hold her and hug her and pet her, and I was just amazed with how gentle she was," Houvner said.

The couple buried the dog in their backyard in a spot next to their garden where she liked to lay in the sun.

Holda said the incident is still under investigation. When a report is complete, it will be forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office for review of potential charges.