NATCHEZ — An Adams County man allegedly shot his neighbor’s dog Thursday on Duck Pond Road, investigators say.

Adams County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Cal Green said the sheriff’s office received an animal cruelty report of a dog having been shot at approximately 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The dog-owner’s neighbor said the dog was barking and growling at him when he exited his house Thursday, Green said.

The neighbor allegedly went back inside his residence and came back out with a firearm.

When the dog growled at him again, the man reportedly shot and killed it, the man told deputies.

Green said investigators are still trying to uncover exactly what happened.

A local vicious dog ordinance dictates that potentially aggressive or dangerous dogs be kept on a chain or in a fenced area, which the dog on Duck Pond Road was not.

Investigators need to know whether the dog was known to be dangerous, Green said, before they can proceed.

Green said she has not yet seen a similar case in her time in Adams County, and said the next step depends heavily on the wishes of the dog-owner.

“We will have to see what the details are,” she said.

The owner of the dog had not pressed charges by Friday afternoon, Green said.