An Albuquerque man is charged with extreme animal cruelty for allegedly shooting his neighbor's dog on Tuesday.

  (Photo courtesy of KRQE)  Police said that Lopez shot the Shar-Pei mix with a high-powered rifle.

The owner admits the dog got out and was running around the neighborhood, but said it wasn't threatening anyone.

The dog had extensive surgery but is expected to live.

Update 8/14/08:  A South Valley man remained in jail Wednesday evening after allegedly shooting his neighbor's dog with a high-powered pellet rifle, nearly killing it, then brandishing the weapon at the neighbor.

Joey Ted Lopez, 45, of the 5000 block of Fifth SW, was being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, extreme cruelty to animals and torturing an animal, according to jail records.

Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies received a call Tuesday saying Lopez was standing in the street with a gun, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Lopez's neighbor told deputies Lopez had shot his dog, a Shar-Pei mix, twice, the complaint says. The dog had "lost a lot of blood" and needed emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and remove a pellet lodged in its hip.

Lopez told deputies he only fired a cap gun to scare the dog, the complaint says. He later admitted shooting it with a pellet gun.

Reference:

KRQE

The Albuquerque Journal