A North Texas volunteer firefighter is under criminal investigation after authorities say he posted a picture of two dead dogs on Facebook along with a message to his neighbors that he had warned them to keep the animals away from his house.

The photo on Hunt County volunteer firefighter Tim Conatser's Facebook account showed the two dogs, apparently shot to death, along with the warning: "Somebody didn't put any truth my warning. Keep your damn dogs on your property."

Conatser could not be reached for comment.

The Union Valley Volunteer Fire Department's chief Edward Ragsdale said he suspended Conatser after he learned of the Facebook post.

"This is an individual that's a volunteer with our department,” Ragsdale said. "We can't be responsible for his actions when he's off duty."

Still, the chief said, the tiny department was getting bombarded on social media with angry messages -- even death threats -- from around the world.

"We've had I don't know how many hits," he said. "We've had (them) from as far away as England, Portugal, Canada, every state in the union."

Hunt County Constable Terry Jones said his office has launched a criminal investigation based on the Facebook post.

He said he did not know who owned the dogs and added that nobody had filed a complaint.

News of the Facebook post spread quickly in Hunt County, where many people were critical.

"I don't think you should have put that on social media, and the way he made it sound is horrible," said Brittany Clark, who works at a Royse City insurance office.