Cops: Saugus man shot and killed dog

SAUGUS ? A Saugus man has been charged with animal cruelty after shooting a dog, which he said bit a child, three times in the head.Richard Maltais, 50, was charged with possession of a firearm without a Firearms Identification Card (FID card), possession of ammunition without an FID card, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and animal cruelty, which is a felony.Police Chief Domenic DiMella said Maltais does not have a license to carry a gun, nor has he ever applied for one in Saugus.Police responded to a home on Lynn Fells Parkway around 1:30 p.m. Sunday after a report of shots being fired in the area. Upon their arrival the homeowner, Maltais, reportedly told police he had shot and killed an English bulldog outside the home after it had bitten a child and several other people inside the home. Maltais was said to have told police that the dog had been a “rescue” animal and that it suddenly became aggressive and bit a 9-month-old as well as others. Police found the body of the dog under the deck outside the home. Police also recovered two spent .380 shell casings and an unspent round as well as a Sig Sauer P230 .380 handgun and a Ruger .22 rifle and boxes of assorted ammunition.Canine Control Officer Harold Young said he was called late Sunday to remove the dog from the premises. He said Monday the remains have already been sent out for testing to see if the animal had rabies.The fact the dog was shot three times in the head may complicate things, however, since it is the brain that is tested for rabies. If the tests come back non-conclusive, it will be treated as a positive, Young said.?I will also be looking into the dog’s history,” Young added.According to police, Maltais will be summonsed to Lynn District Court to face the charges leveled at him for killing the animal.