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Animal control officer facing charges for dog's death

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An animal control officer quit his job after learning he would face criminal charges for allegedly letting a dog die in his truck. He's also accused of trying to cover it up.

A Cobb County woman says her family couldn’t believe Brad Pitt, their young bassett hound-bulldog mix, could simply disappear.

The puppy had been a gift for her daughter’s fifth birthday and ran off into the Kennesaw neighborhood one morning.

David Spontak saw Brad Pitt the morning animal control came for it.

“He seemed like a very friendly dog. I saw him walking down the street just prior to the truck coming for him,” Spontak said.

But the young dog never made it alive back to the shelter.

Officer Matthew Dodson later told his superiors he found Brad Pitt alongside the road, dead from being hit by a car.

Spontak, though, had a different story when investigators came knocking.

“He (was) just a friendly dog. (The animal control officer) just put a leash on it (and) put him in the side of the truck and then drove away,” Spontak said.

Dodson is now charged with cruelty to animals, for allegedly letting the puppy die in his truck on a hot July day, and obstruction, for allegedly lying about how Brad Pitt died.

Dodson resigned from his job, and the dog’s owner, whose investigation about her missing puppy started all this, hopes it ends with changes to the department.

"Cobb County authorities want to reassure our citizens that this type of behavior will never be condoned and that the safety of any animal while in our custody (or otherwise) is paramount. We have met with the owner of the dog, advised them of the results of our investigation and are working with them regarding this tragic situation," Cobb police said in a news release Monday.