Molly Longman

mlongman@dmreg.com

A man shot a St. Bernard with a revolver on Thursday, police say.

The man was walking his dogs at about 4 p.m. in the 2300 block of East 39th Street when he was confronted by two other threatening dogs, according to a police report.

The man told police he attempted to scare the dogs off, but a St. Bernard growled at him and lunged at his face.

Police say the man put his left arm in front of his face, as one of the dogs bit him.

He then pulled a gun from his pocket and shot at the lunging dog, which did not sustain any visible injuries.

The man told police the rounds from his revolver were "birdshot," or very small shotgun shells.

The man had broken skin and holes in his clothes from the bite.

The St. Bernard's owner claimed the dog, whose name is Sochi, was in the back yard at the time of the incident, but a witness said he heard the shot and saw a large, fluffy dog in the street.

The Animal Rescue League was called to the scene of the accident.