MONTMORENCY COUNTY (WWJ) - A hunter told the Department of Natural Resources that he drove out on to state land, removed his dog's collar and tags and abandoned the dog because it wouldn't stop barking, mLive reported.
According to an official report, the incident occurred mid-February in Montmorency County, about 40 miles west of Alpena when a DNR officer recognized a lost dog that had been posted to social media.
The officer, Sidney Collins, began to put the pieces together when he heard rumors that the animal may have been abandoned by its owner, a local hound hunter; he had also seen footage of the dog picking from a deer carcass.
The dog was eventually trapped; officer Collins noted the animal had bloody paws and extremely skinny.
When Collins spoke with the dog's owner, the man confessed to removing the hound's collar and ID tags before taking the animal on state land and leaving the dog there.
He told Collins he couldn't stand the dog's excessive barking.
The officer told the owner that he couldn't abandon the dog, calling it "unacceptable," and offered up other humane options.
The hunter faces possible animal abandonment charges after Collins submitted a report to the prosecutor's officer.
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