WOODLAWN, Tenn. (WKRN) – A dog was shot to death Monday afternoon by a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigator who was conducting an investigation.

According to the sheriff’s office, Investigator Fred Smith was following up on a child abuse case when he stopped at a home on Sawmill Road to speak to a witness.

After he arrived, Smith reportedly honked his horn and scanned the front yard for dogs.

A press release states he got out of his car and approached the home when three dogs ran from the back yard and “advanced” at Smith.

As he tried to return to his car, one of the dogs allegedly attempted to “grab” Smith.

“Fearing for his safety, Smith was compelled to discharge his firearm,” the sheriff’s office says.

The dog, a 6-year-old pit bull named Bailey, was shot once and died.

The sheriff’s office said Smith fired his gun twice. One shell casing was found at the scene; the second was discovered lodged in his gun.

Smith notified his supervisor or responded to complete an investigation, per departmental policy.

The dog’s owner, Melissa Holleman, spoke to News 2 and said they’ve had Bailey since she was a puppy.

“Bailey’s never hurt anybody. We rescued her. And I just feel like he did it because she’s a pit bull and it was on our property, and we didn’t know they were coming here, and we are not criminals. There was no reason for him to shoot our dog,” Holleman said through tears.

When asked her thoughts on the sheriff department saying Smith felt threatened with pit bulls coming at him, Holleman said, “I’m sure she was running down the driveway. That’s what she did. The mailman, FedEx, UPS… They all come up here with the dogs and they put packages on the porch no problem. We’ve never had a problem.”

Holleman added, “So I’m sure she was running down her driveway. This is her home. And he just shot and killed her.”

Bailey’s owner also said she and her family are contacting lawyers to “see what they can do” since the situation has caused them so much grief.

News 2 also spoke with Sheriff John Fuson who said several neighbors immediately came outside and “words were exchanged, vulgarities exchanged” about what happened.

At the time, the sheriff says Smith told the neighbors he didn’t know what happened but was going to find out.

“He did not fully disclose what happened to himself, but he felt that was the tactic that he needed to use to rectify the escalating situation he found himself in,” Sheriff Fuson said.

Fuson added, “He did not know anything about this property. He went up to investigate a case that he was lawfully there to do and he was faced with a situation and he had to take the appropriate action that he felt was necessary to protect himself.

“We hate that the situation happened and the only thing that we can do is apologize to the family that this situation happened and hope that they understand,” the sheriff said.

When News 2 asked if officers have any policy when it comes to pets, Sheriff Fuson explained there is “no way you can encompass everything that they’re going to find themselves in,” but the department does give them the tools and tactics to mitigate situations to protect themselves and the citizens.

Sandra Brandon, the PIO for the sheriff’s office, also released a statement Tuesday saying, “Immediately after the incident Investigator Smith contacted central dispatch over the radio to report he had shot a dog and ask for his supervisor to arrive on scene. To prevent the situation for escalating further, Investigator Smith refrained from discussing what had transpired with the pet owner and neighbors and allowed his supervisor to convey the details of the incident.”

Bailey was buried in the family’s backyard with the help of the Hollemans’ neighbors.