KLEIN, TX – An investigation is underway after a dog was shot to death by an off-duty deputy in Klein on Tuesday.
The dog’s owner, Mason Monaghan, believes his beloved dog was killed by a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office who just so happens to be his neighbor.
Monaghan said on Tuesday, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrived at his home on Rustington Drive.
“They were there to notify me that my neighbor in the back of my house, who happened to be a police officer, had shot and killed our beloved dog, Lulu,” Monaghan said.
Deputies said they responded to the home after receiving a call from an off-duty deputy about an aggressive dog barking in his backyard.
The off-duty deputy told investigators he was awoken by the sound of an aggressive dog barking in his backyard.
“The resident reported that he went outside in the dark to investigate and was confronted by one of his neighbor’s adult Doberman Pinschers that had broken through an adjoining fence,” the HCSO said. “The resident reported that the dog charged toward him and he shot the dog with his firearm.”
Investigators said the off-duty deputy told them after being shot, the dog “retreated into its yard through the broken fence.”
Monaghan questioned this after he scanned his backyard with deputies, finding his dog lying in a pool of blood. Monaghan said he did not find a trail of blood anywhere in the neighbor’s yard, suggesting that Lulu had been shot right in his backyard.
“There was no hole that would be big enough for a 120-pound Doberman to get out of. It was physically impossible,” Monaghan added.
He said he only spotted two small holes in his backyard, but neither were big enough for his dog to get through.
KPRC 2 Reporter Rilwan Balogun asked Monaghan to walk him through his backyard, but the homeowner refused, saying his backyard was messy.
Monaghan said investigators were in his backyard removing boards, cinder blocks and blocking holes to take pictures.
“He needs to be held responsible for what he did,” Monaghan said referring to the off-duty deputy who shot his dog. “Just because he’s a police officer doesn’t change that for me. He shot into my house and could have killed me or my children. To me, that’s a huge issue.”
Monaghan said he found a bullet lodged into his back door.
“I am now scared for me and my family’s safety. This could have killed one of my kids,” he said. “[The off-duty deputy] said, he only shot once, but I have a bullet stuck on my door. I had bullet [holes] in my house. I’ve got bullet holes in my backyard.”
The father of two said once he noticed the bullet holes, it escalated matters but he felt dismissed.
“Because now, once [KPRC 2 got] involved, now, they’re actually here,” Monaghan said. “After I called them for hours yesterday and left a voice message.”
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is declining to file charges stating, “the evidence is consistent with the neighbor shooting the dog in order to protect himself.”
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Statement:
“On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for service at a home on Rustington Drive at approximately 5:30 a.m. When the deputy arrived, he spoke with the resident, who identified himself as an off-duty Sheriff’s Office deputy. The resident reported that he was awoken by the sound of an aggressive dog barking in his backyard. The resident reported that he went outside in the dark to investigate and was confronted by one of his neighbor’s adult Doberman Pinschers that had broken through an adjoining fence. The resident reported that the dog charged toward him and he shot the dog with his personal firearm. The resident reported that the wounded dog then retreated back into its own yard through the broken fence. The responding deputy later found the deceased dog in the neighbor’s backyard. The incident remains under investigation.”
