FARMINGTON – Police charged a New Vineyard man with cruelty to animals Thursday after he allegedly shot a dog in the head last Friday. The man told police the dog bit his nephew and started a fight with a friend’s dog.

Cea J. Pitcher, 20, was issued a summons for the civil violation, Farmington police Chief Richard Caton III said. He plans to send the case to the District Attorney’s Office to be reviewed for more charges, Caton said.

“Under Maine law, you have a right to euthanize your own animal,” Caton said. “He took the dog out to destroy it, shot it and left it for dead. He thought he killed it.”

If Pitcher had actually killed the dog, he would not face any charges, Caton said. “You don’t just wound the animal and leave it,” he said. “You need to do it quickly.”

Pitcher has an April 28 court date in Farmington.

The dog was found wandering on Mosher Hill Road in Farmington about noon March 12 covered in blood. Elwin Churchill of Farmington found the dog as he was driving by and plans to adopt it once it’s well. He took the dog to the Clearwater Veterinary Hospital in Farmington where veterinarians installed four pins in the collie-German shepherd mix’s jaw to hold it together.

Caton said former owners of the mostly reddish, brown dog saw the animal on a news broadcast and called Farmington Animal Control Officer Wayne Atwood.

The out-of-town owners, who advertised the dog in Uncle Henry’s sell and swap book, reported that Pitcher was the one who responded to the ad, Caton said.

Farmington police Detective Marc Bowering and Atwood investigated the shooting.

Caton said Pitcher told police he did get the dog from an ad in Uncle Henry’s.

Pitcher told police the dog attacked a friend’s dog and also bit his 3-year-old nephew above his eye causing a puncture wound, Caton said. But Dr. Robert Patterson, who was one of the veterinarians to operate on the dog, said it was a very mild mannered animal.

Police believe the dog was shot with a .22 caliber rifle, he said.

The bullet entered the right side of the dog’s mouth, lacerated its tongue in two places, shattered teeth and exited through the left side of its jaw.

The dog is doing “pretty well” and is still recovering, said veterinary assistant Tracy Archari.

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