Salisbury Man Charged After Allegedly Shooting, Strangling Neighbor's Dog To Death

SALISBURY (CBS) – Three family members are facing charges in connection with the death of a neighbor's dog in Salisbury after police said the animal was shot and then strangled.

Jacob Dow, 28, is facing several charges including maliciously killing a domestic animal, animal cruelty, misleading a police investigation, and gun offenses. His husband, Donald Dow, and grandfather, 77-year-old George Dow are charged with misleading a police investigation.

All three men pleaded not guilty.

Following a dangerousness hearing on Thursday, Jacob Dow was ordered held without bail for 120 days. Donald Dow was released on $1,500 cash bail, and George Dow was ordered to stay away from the alleged victims and surrender any firearms.

Emily Meattey of Salisbury told police that on February 23 one of her children accidentally let the family's 2-year-old Siberian husky named Zoe out of the house. The dog ran into Dow's yard and attacked one of his pet ducks.

Prosecutors said Jacob Dow shot the dog, strangled it to death, then attempted to bury its body. Meattey said she was standing in front of the home and heard the gunshot, but couldn't see into the Dow family's backyard to know what had happened.

"She could have been saved. If they did the right thing, the bird shot is not going to kill her. She could have gotten help from a vet," Meattey said. "She didn't need to be strangled. I just hope that we get justice for Zoe and my family because it's been a very long week."

Jacob Dow told investigators that he shot Zoe because she was killing the duck, and that he strangled the dog to put it out of its misery.

Police announced charges against the three members of the Dow family on Wednesday after investigating for about a week.

Jacob Dow's defense attorney Rick Foley said police had been called "repeatedly" for complaints about the family's dogs entering their yard.

"It's a sad case for everybody involved quite frankly. We'll see how it plays out in the future. Bottom line, nobody's happy in this one. It's an unfortunate circumstance," Foley said.

Meattey said she had only heard one complaint about Zoe from the neighbor.

"One other time and they threatened to shoot her. Then she went back and they did," Meattey said.

Eileen Modricker lives in the neighborhood.

"The dog got out. It was an accident. She shouldn't have died for getting loose. My dog got loose a couple months ago. I worry about it being hit by a car or being lost. I could never imagine that my dog would be shot by someone in the community," she said.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 5.