Last month, Shane Dietrich says he was napping with his fiancé when they awoke to the sound of screams.

"We left my 13-year-old son and the victim out in the room playing like they normally do every other day," said Dietrich.  "Me and my wife came out, and Dean had our daughter's arm in his mouth."
 

According to Dietrich, his dog Dean attacked and injured their daughter.

"He broke her arm in two places, above and below the elbow," said Shane's fiancé Jessica Dietrich. "He tore through the meniscus. She had a major blood clot in her left arm that required surgery."

According to Erie Humane Society Officer Brian Carroll, under the law, a dog owner must quarantine their pet for 10 days following an attack, or pay to have it euthanized.

However, a couple days later, Dean was found on Sam Site Road in North East, suffering from gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder.

Erie News Now asked Dietrich if he shot his dog.

"No, we do not know the person," said Dietrich. "My fiancé found someone online. We told him the story. We met up with him. We took him to the spot. He shot Dean in the shoulder. He was yelping. I told him you got to hit him again. I'm not going to lie, it was satisfying hearing him yelp for what he did to my daughter, but at the same time, I didn't want to hear it."

The shooting left Dean blind in one eye and led to the amputation of his front right leg.

Erie News Now asked Dietrich if he believes if there was a more humane way to go about this.

"We tried," said Dietrich. "They want $160.00 to put a dog down. I don't have that, and then you have to keep it for 10 days after it attacks your family. You give that dog away, and it attacks, you can be sued. I don't have money."

Humane officer Carroll is investigating the incident and is looking to press charges.

"We are aware there was an incident in the home involving Dean and a small child," said Carroll. "There was another dog involved in this incident. This was not just a Dean and the child incident. This was a child caught between two dogs that were attacking each other."

Meanwhile, Dietrich is calling for Dean to be put down.

"He needs to be put down properly and I'm sorry that I couldn't afford to put my family in any more danger," said Dietrich. "If you look at us differently, so be it, but if it was your kid, what would you do?"

Carroll says the Erie Humane Society does not intend to put Dean down.

"I do not see that happening," said Carroll. "Since we have had Dean in our possession, he has shown no signs of any aggression towards any people."

This story is supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.