A dog in Ypsilanti Township died this week after being shot in its yard by a Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office deputy responding to a call from a meter reader.
The sheriff's dispatch received a call at 11:32 a.m. on Monday from a caller who said a pit bull was trying to attack him.
The call was made by a 23-year-old meter reader working in the 1200 block of Hull Road.
The meter reader had entered the gated backyard where two pit bulls were locked in a separate area of the yard that was also gated, according to Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office spokesman Derrick Jackson. The Humane Society of Huron Valley, who provided medical assistance to the dog, could not confirm the breed of the dog.
While the man was attempting to read the meter, one of the dogs jumped the enclosure and attacked him, according to the sheriff's department.
The caller was able to use his reading wand to keep the dog from biting him, but he became trapped within the yard. He called 911 while the dog was attacking him and as he continued to try to fend off the dog, deputies arrived on the scene.
The dog charged and attacked the deputy, Jackson said. That deputy then shot the dog.
Deb Kern, director of marketing and media relations for the Humane Society of Huron Valley, said the 50-pound female dog was shot in the back and was immediately transported to HSHV by her owners.
"The dog came in and they (surgeons) did work on the dog for almost five hours and she did pass away," Kern said. "Unfortunately, she did not make it."
Jackson said Friday that the department interviewed neighbors, who said the dogs have a prior history of being vicious.
Details on the shooting were not listed on a media release from the sheriff's department earlier this week. DTE representative Len Singer said after checking all of the security logs, he saw no reports of any DTE workers being involved in the situation.
"I can't confirm that any of our employees were involved at all," he said.
DTE spokesperson Scott Simons said the company contracts its meter reader services out to a company called ACCU-READ Services, which is based in Ann Arbor. ACCU-READ representatives could not be reached for comment.
AnnArbor.com reporter Kyle Feldscher contributed to this article. Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.