A Hamburg man has admitted to using a rifle to shoot his dog in the head during the summer. Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane says 62-year-old Dennis Rutkowski pleaded guilty Friday morning to one count of attempted aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of 4th-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both Class A misdemeanors. On June 28th, Hamburg Town Police responded to a residence on West Canyon Drive to conduct a welfare check. While outside of Rutkowski's residence, the officers saw an injured dog in the backyard. Investigators say Rutkowski attempted to cause serious physical injury to his companion animal by shooting it in the head with a rifle. The weapon was seized, and Rutkowski was arrested. The injured dog, an approximately seven-year-old male German Shepard named "Sky," was taken to a local veterinary hospital for treatment. The dog was placed in the custody of the SPCA Serving Erie County and has since been adopted by a new owner, continuing to recover from the injury.
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Rutkowski faces a maximum of 364 days in jail when he is sentenced, with sentencing scheduled for December 8th. He remains released under the supervision of probation. At his arraignment in July, a judge imposed a temporary securing order that prohibits Rutkowski from owning, harboring, or having custody or control of any animals while the case is pending prosecution.
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