The 45-pound lab mix, Basil, was shot twice in the face at the home on Edgewood Avenue in southeast Atlanta. A Fulton County Marshal spokesman said they were investigating the incident.

“It was incredible heartbreaking. I lost a child,” owner Carey Cullifer told Channel 2’s Erin Coleman.

He and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Runkle, said marshals came to their home to serve a lawsuit, but the person they were looking for moved out years ago. They said Basil was alone outside for just a moment when the shooting occurred.

The couple said marshals wouldn't explain what happened.

“They said nothing to me but, ‘Stop talking to me and go inside,’”Cullifer said.

A man working at a shop next door said he was stunned to see the dead animal.

“I see a dog laying under my neighbor’s truck, and it was convulsing and blood was everywhere,” Terrence Jackson said.

He said the marshal told him the dog charged him, but Jackson said he didn’t hear any commotion, barking or yelling. He added that the dog has never previously been aggressive.

“He still had the gun in his hand, and he was looking as shocked as I was looking. At the dog, then he looked at me, and we looked at each other,” Jackson said.

Adding insult to injury, Runkle was issued a citation after the ordeal.

“So we now have to go to court because they shot our dog,” Runkle said.

The couple said they’re angry and upset.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do without her. It’s just really sad,” Runkle said.