Sheriff Says It's OK That Deputy Shot Leashed Dog

He might have got a nasty owie if he'd stepped backward. Or not passed the "Beware of Dog" sign.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright is defending a deputy who killed a tethered dog on Monday.

"I hate that the man lost his dog, I really do," says Wright. "But I'd rather have that than one of my deputies needing several surgeries because he got attacked by the dog."

The dog's owner, Richard Woodruff, says the deputy could have easily avoided the animal and ignored a warning sign. He also says the deputy really had no business being at his home on Quartermaster Road.