Police: Florida woman uses stun gun to quiet neighbor's dog

KEY WEST, Fla. — A Key West woman was arrested Monday on suspicion she shocked her neighbor's dog with a stun gun when it would not stop barking, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.

Shirlee Hiller, 53, was charged with animal cruelty after her neighbor's 45-pound pit bull-mix suffered blisters, bumps and redness on the inside of his legs, The Miami Herald reported.

The Sheriff's Office said the incident took place on Nov. 4. The owner of the dog, Permelia Smith, told officers that within seconds of putting her dog in the backyard she heard "a bug zapping noise," the Herald reported.

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She then saw the pit bull "going nuts" and attacking the wooden fence as Hiller held a black stick through a hole, the police report states.

Hiller told police that she did not hurt the dog and "only threatened to stun the dog," according to the police report. Officers confiscated the stun gun, which was described as a "black cane electric weapon."

The dog did not suffer permanent injuries from the shock, the newspaper reported.

Hiller has been released from jail on a $1,500 bail, the Sheriff's Office said.

Cox Media Group