Entire Dog Blog

On November 12, 2007, Teton County (Idaho) Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez had Leo Barboza tie his 5-year-old black Labrador retriever mix Bobby to a tree. Then Gutierrez shot Bobby three times. Somehow, Bobby survived the attack.

Now the Idaho Attorney General's office will decide if criminal charges will be filed against Deputy Gutierrez as recommended by the Tri-County Sheriff's Association back in December. That association is made up of law enforcement officials from around Idaho.

Barboza filed a tort claim, a kind of pre-lawsuit, against the county. Police say Gutierrez was arrived at Barboza's house responding to reports that Bobby had mauled a woman. According to Barboza's lawyer Joshua Garner, that's not true.

The claim also states "that the county didn't follow its policy of dealing with dog complaints," according to Garner.