Ridgefield, CT – A New York man is in court, facing charges for killing a family’s two senior German shepherds who had escaped from their owner’s property after a bear damaged fencing around their yard. Michael Konschak, 61, is accused of killing the nine-year-old dogs while crossbow hunting in November.

As reported by NBC Connecticut, Konschak claims that he thought the German shepherds were coyotes and he has stated that one of the dogs “aggressively” charged him after he shot the other one.

The dogs, Leiben and Cimo, belonged to the Caviola family, who had been searching non-stop for their pets since the day they escaped through the damaged fencing.

Konschak took the deceased dogs to a professional taxidermist because he wanted the pelts from the “coyotes.” The taxidermist could see that the deceased animals were German shepherds, and made up an excuse to get out of performing the work. Konschak ended up skinning the dogs himself and then claimed that he threw away the pelts because he said that he did not like the way that they had turned out. Police allege that he threw the pelts away after learning that he was being investigated.

As reported by Fox News, Konschak’s lawyer applied for a special probation program that would have erased the charges, but a judge rejected the request this week. Konschak is due back in court on April 12.

(Screengrab of slain dogs)

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