Man says killing puppies with hammer justified

DECATUR, Tenn.  A videotape that shows a Chattanooga man beating puppies to death with a hammer does not tell the whole story, he said.

Ned Proffitt, who has been charged with animal cruelty, told WTVC-TV in Chattanooga that the videotape of him beating the two pups with a hammer does not start until after he had tried to shoot a stray dog and instead shot the pups, wounding them.

Proffitt told the station that when he saw the pups weren't dead, he did what he considered to be the humane thing and beat them to death with a hammer.

Proffitt said his mobile home park has a problem with nuisance stray dogs and some residents have been frightened.

Bobbie Fisher, a neighbor, said she "got bit up and tore up by the puppies. The mother wasn't there but I'm glad she wasn't because she's wild."

Proffitt said he previously had set traps and called police, but the problem continued. Decatur and Meigs County do not have animal control officers.

"I don't like to kill animals," Proffitt told WTVC. "But someone has to take responsibility. I wouldn't want those kids in the neighborhood to get hurt for anything."

The video of Proffitt approaching puppies and killing them with a hammer was taken by a resident at the mobile home park, James Shelton.

Shelton said he and some of his neighbors were feeding the animals until Halloween evening.

The video shows Proffitt striking a black puppy in the head with a hammer. It falls to the ground and Proffitt strikes it another eight times. A moment later Proffitt is seen striking another puppy in deep grass. The video then shows the dead puppies.

Decatur Mayor Dean Henry said Proffitt has other options in dealing with strays.

"If we've got a phone call, notifying our police department of a stray dog, our policemen actually take a cage and go out and trap that animal," Henry said. "Then we take it to a local veterinarian and let the veterinarian care for it."

Henry said Decatur is a small town and "we just don't have the funding available to have an animal control and build a shelter and everything. Our tax base just won't allow for that."

———

Information from WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, http://www.newschannel9.com

Printer-friendly format