GRIMES COUNTY, Texas – "He was the sweetest and best animal, and the best friend to my kids,” Ashley Holmsten said.
She held back tears, still in shock after their family’s 5-year-old lab named Riggins was shot and killed Saturday by one of their neighbors in Grimes County.
At first, Ashley says they thought he was lost.
"We looked all day, drove every road, my kids were looking out the window, yelling his name," Ashley said.
Somehow, Riggins and their other dog, a German Shepherd, got out of their fence and found themselves on someone else’s' property.
Dr. John Lee Walker lives about 200 acres away from the Holmsten's. Chris Tritico is his attorney.
"He has had for over a year now, a problem with wild dogs attacking his sheep. I have given you the photographs. It shows the horrible treatment that his sheep had received from these wild dogs," Tritico said.
The photos are too graphic to show.
"There was no collar on this yellow dog, nothing to indicate that this was someone's pet that had gotten loose. The yellow dog was with a black dog and they were attacking Dr. Walker's sheep," Tritico said.
The Holmstens said they received a call from Walker's wife once they realized the dog they shot was someone's pet.
"She was very sad, and she said we shot your dog, and I was like you what? How did you shoot our dog," Walter Holmsten said.
He said Mrs. Walker told him that Riggins was running around with the sheep but never said anything about how he was attacking them.
"We had a bunny and a chicken, he played with them, there was no threat, he never injured anything in his life," Ashley Holmsten said.
Grimes County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case.