Family horrified as Missouri sheriff's deputy shoots and kills their chocolate lab Nala while investigating a robbery

A Missouri family was near heartbroken aft a sheriff's lawman changeable and killed their affectional support canine - a two-year-old cocoa laboratory named Nala.

Dianna Dollins said nan lawman had arrived astatine her and her husband's Farmington spot connected Sunday to inquire them whether they had immoderate doorbell camera footage of a robbery that occurred crossed nan thoroughfare earlier that day.

But erstwhile nan lawman arrived unannounced connected their porch, he encountered Nala -  whom nan family had precocious bought arsenic an affectional support canine for Dianna's husband, Scottie, who has been recovering from encephalon tumor room - and fired his weapon.

'It's conscionable devastating, location are nary different words for it,' Dollins  told KSDK.

The family now argues nan lawman should not person been connected their spot successful nan first spot - noting that he did not person a warrant and was not invited onto their land.

They said they did not moreover cognize nan serviceman was connected their spot until Scottie heard nan shooting, Dianna shared successful a July 21 Facebook station written by her husband.

'My hubby heard nan shots and came moving around, and location she lay,' nan mates recounted, telling really nan canine was recovered lying successful nan gravel driveway pinch a gunshot coiled successful her head.

'He had already changeable her. He instantly started saying she spot me. He was already backmost astatine his car successful his car door.'

The St. Francois County Sheriff's Office now claims nan Labrador spot nan deputy's wrist and elbow - prompting nan serviceman to occurrence his weapon.

Sheriff Daniel Bullock said nan lawman is receiving rabies shots, claiming that nan family did not person up-to-date immunization records for their dog. 

The St. Francois County Ambulance District's administrator besides said an ambulance was dispatched to nan Dollins' residence, but was past told location was nary diligent astatine nan scene.   

Yet nan family says Nala 'would not wounded a fly,' and moreover if she had, it 'didn't warrant shooting [their] canine dead.'

'She'd ne'er spot anyone,' Dianna said, arsenic her father, Ronald Widner, noted that 'Nala welcomed everybody.

'But nan measurement they do it is they jump connected you and their lingua is wagging,' he said. 

'They shake hands group for illustration that. I'm judge that's what happened, and if he has a people connected him, he's sewage a scratch mark.'

The canine was adopted to beryllium affectional support for Scottie, who had been recovering from encephalon tumor surgery, and was considered portion of nan family.

'Nala had been location pinch him done each of that,' Dianna said. 'She slept pinch america each night.'

The family is now calling for justness for their beloved animal, who had precocious had 10 puppies and was wearing a daze collar that prevented her from leaving nan spot astatine nan clip of nan shooting.

'After it happened, location was nary remorse,' Dianna said. 'It was still "I did what I had to" pinch a bad type of attitude.'

'I don't cognize if he's a bully man aliases if he's a bad man, but he's a frightened man pinch a gun,' she added. 'And I don't deliberation that we request frightened men pinch guns protecting our country.'

She went connected to opportunity that nan lawman should person had his lights connected aliases honked to fto nan family cognize he was location earlier he showed up astatine their property. 

'That man does not request to person a gun,' Dianna said. 'This does not request to hap to anyone else.'

The sheriff's agency is now investigating nan shooting, pinch Sheriff Bullock saying his agency is waiting connected reports from nan Farmington Police Department, which had officers respond.