A 57-year-old Tennessee man was killed by a Rottweiler just hours after adopting it, according to local authorities. The man’s wife reportedly called Madison County deputies Thursday afternoon after coming home to find her husband unresponsive, reports the Associated Press. Sadly, the dog was shot by sheriff’s deputies after running out of the house upon their arrival.
A Madison County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirms to AP that the Rottweiler had been adopted by the man earlier that morning from Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control. Kim Tedford, the county’s Regional Health Department director, says the dog was a stray and had been picked up by the county just five days before being adopted.
The dog, which reportedly showed "no signs of aggression" when housed at Rabies Control, is set to be autopsied. "It was a stray running at large, so we have no idea if the dog had been vaccinated or not," Tedford tells USA Today. "We by no means would adopt an animal out that showed any signs of aggression." The man's wife, however, is far less convinced: "A docile dog does not turn in three hours and kill somebody. Something was wrong."
