Man who allegedly drowned dog on Dauphin Island shares his side of the story
By Lacey Beasley
Click here for updates on this story
DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama (WALA) — For the first time, the man who police said drowned his dog on Dauphin Island shares his side of the story.
It happened two weeks ago, and the suspect claimed he was trying to rid his 7-year-old dog Shelly of fleas by taking her into the Gulf, noting she loved the water.
Shawn Taulbee said he brought his dog to the water because she had a flea problem, and he was hoping the salt water would help.
“I didn’t ever think that would happen,” said Taulbee.
While Shelly was in the water, he said things took a turn for the worse.
“She was in front of me, and the water was like a foot deep, and a wave came and hit her nose,” said Taulbee. “She did her doggie paddle, doggie paddle, doggie paddle, and then she never did realize she was close to the shore. She could have easily stood up on her feet and been out of the water, but she kept doggie-paddling. I don’t know if it was the water coming out of the beach or the wave that clipped her nose. From there, I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, court documents revealed two women witnessed this and reported it to Dauphin Island police.
Documents quote: “Taulbee drowned animal in the Gulf of Mexico by using a rusted chain/ black rope tied around the animal’s neck and stomach area to pull the animal into the water and drown the animal.”
“They said, you murderer!” said Taulbee. “The other one said you killed that dog! I was already on a defensive. I didn’t know how to handle that. I even pulled her out of the water, but I don’t know CPR well. I don’t want anybody in Mobile thinking I would intentionally do that, and I do realize the people on the beach that saw me were upset. My purpose was to get the dog in the water and to get her soaked so the salt would kill the fleas.”
Taulbee plead not guilty to a dog cruelty charge. He goes back to court for a preliminary hearing on August 31st.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
