Becker County (trfnews.i234.me) – A rural Menahga man is accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog with birdshot.
According to court records, the case is filed in Becker County District Court.
Prosecutors charged Arthur Louis Etter, 68, of rural Menahga, with misdemeanor mistreatment of an animal.
The charge stems from an incident reported on October 24, 2025, near Menahga, Minnesota.
A Becker County deputy went to a home after a report that a dog had been shot.
The dog’s owner said he was working in his garden when he heard a loud gunshot.
He believed the sound came from his neighbor’s home across the road to the south.
After the shot, he noticed his dog was missing and began calling for the animal.
The dog returned, bleeding from its back leg.
The owner led the deputy to the area where the dog had come from.
The deputy saw large pools or spots of blood in the grass and leaves.
He also saw what looked like a gunshot wound on the inside of the dog’s right rear leg.
The owner said his neighbor had never complained about the dog before that day.
He also said he did not think the neighbor kept livestock or poultry.
The deputy then spoke with the neighbor, identified as Arthur Louis Etter.
Etter said the dog often came onto his land and defecated.
He admitted shooting the dog with birdshot, according to the complaint.
Etter did not claim the dog was attacking anyone or causing serious harm.
The owner took the dog to a veterinarian for treatment.
A medical report said the dog had a gunshot wound from birdshot or buckshot.
The bill for care was listed at $661.19.
The charge refers to Minnesota animal protection laws, including state animal cruelty statutes.
Court records show Etter’s first court date is December 30.
The hearing is set before District Judge Gretchen D. Thilmony in Becker County.
The charge is only an accusation at this stage.
Etter is presumed innocent unless he is found guilty in court.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
