California Deputies Shoot, Kill Family Dog After Responding to Wrong House

— -- Deputies shot and killed a family's dog, after responding to the wrong house on a domestic disturbance call Monday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Police from Hesperia, California, arrived at the wrong property after the caller told them to go to the house "to the left" of his own, Cindy Bachman, public information officer for San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department told ABC News. When the deputies arrived, "They rattled the fence, hoping to alert any dogs on the property."

Bachman said two small dogs ran out, and soon after, a much bigger dog followed.

"You can hear on their belt recording the dogs barking and almost immediately what sounds to be a larger dog, a deeper bark, a definitely different sound to it," Bachman explained. "You can hear the barking of that bigger dog getting closer to the deputies, and then there's one shot. The bullet struck the dog. The deputies on the property feared that they were going to be bitten by the dogs."

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that they, "recognize the emotional impact the loss of a family pet has on this family and we extend our deepest sympathies. The officers involved in this incident feel terrible about what occurred but felt they had no other reasonable option at the time."

The department added that when they did respond to the correct location where the disturbance occurred, an arrest was made.

The dog was an 11-year-old husky mix named Buddy, according to ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

Buddy's owner, Debra Blackmore, gave an emotional statement to KABC saying, "I don't understand why the cops, when they knew they were at the wrong house and shot my dog, why didn't they rush him to the emergency?"

According to KABC, the sheriff’s department did offer to take Buddy to a vet, but the family decided to get help for the dog themselves.

Bachman added that the Captain of the Hesperia Police Station attended a community meeting and was able to offer his personal condolences and apology to the family.

"The captain was able to speak to the family affected by this." Bachman said. "He wanted to speak to them about what had happened offer his personal apology, this is a huge loss. I feel it because I have dogs, it is heartbreaking to know that this was just a terrible accident. They didn't know that they were at the wrong house."