Woman accuses Sacramento dentist of killing pet dog

Chelsea Hall said the incident happened near the intersection of 21st Street and Larkin Way. The 8-year-old dog, Milo, died Tuesday.

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"I feel disgusted. I feel sick. I'm very sad. I'm heartbroken. I'm terrified," Hall said.

A memorial now sits in the spot where Milo was hit by the dentist.

KCRA-TV

A memorial now sits in the spot where dog owner Chelsea Hall said her 8-year-old Chihuahua was killed.

The morning started like most since she moved to the area six months ago. Hall took both of her dogs, Milo and Peanut, out for a walk around 8:15 a.m. She said Peanut was on leash, but Milo wasn't.

"He's like a crippled, little, fat Chihuahua. He can't move fast," she said. "So, there's no threat."

On her return, Hall noticed a man across the street standing under the parking sign staring at her. She said in one hand, the man had a wooden baton and in his other, his dog on a leash.

"Once Peanut starts barking, (the man) starts approaching my direction," she said. "(The man) came towards the sidewalk. I had Peanut right here and Milo was there -- and (Milo) kind of just waddled up to his dog and they met and touched noses. Then (the man) whacked (Milo) with his baton."

Hall said the man then walked up a ramp and into a nearby building.

"I kept screaming, 'You killed my dog! You killed my dog!'" she said.

The man is a dentist in Sacramento. KCRA is not identifying him because he has not been charged with a crime.

The dentist is facing scrutiny and backlash on social media, with dozens of angry reviews posted on his Yelp and Facebook business page.

The dentist said Thursday that Hall's version of what happened is a fabrication. But, he wouldn't share his side of what happened.

On Wednesday, an employee who works in the same building as the dentist came to his defense.

"He has a good reputation, oddly enough, as being one that loves dogs," Lisa Geibel-Finn said. "I believe that he loves animals, and what he's being accused of is pushing the cart."

Both women said they want to see justice.

"There needs to be peace, and we need to have rational conversation going on and hear both sides," Geibel-Finn said.

"I don't think anybody who is capable of doing that to a small innocent dog should be allowed to be on the streets," Hall said.

Officers went to the scene of Milo's death. Sacramento police, animal control and the district attorney's office are investigating to decide if charges will be filed.

Under a Sacramento ordinance, dogs are not permitted to be off an owner's property without a leash.

Dawn A. Foster, Sacramento SPCA director of marketing and communications, said in an email that owners always leash their dogs.

"Dog leash laws protect both the dog and the dog owner from unexpected accidents," Foster added.