A Cobb County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a veteran's service dog while serving an arrest warrant on Forest Hill Road in Powder Springs on Wednesday, July 8, and the agency's Internal Affairs Unit is reviewing whether the deputy followed department training.
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office released body camera footage from two angles on Friday, July 10, showing the encounter. The video showed the deputy walking toward the home with a warrant in hand before a dog ran out of a carport. The dog ran toward the deputy, barking. The deputy fired one shot.
Calvin Willis, the dog's owner, was not the person named in the warrant and faces no charges, the sheriff's office confirmed. Willis told WSB-TV he had informed deputies multiple times that the person they were looking for does not live at his address.
The dog, a 3-year-old named Fifi, was Willis's trained service animal. Willis told WSB-TV he is a veteran who suffers from brain trauma, PTSD and memory loss. Fifi was trained to guide him home when he became confused, position herself under his head during falls, and press a medical alert button if he passed out. She had completed more than 8,000 hours of training through the nonprofit Healing4Heroes, according to the organization.
"I saw her take the last breath, she went whoo, and I just lost it," Willis told WSB-TV on Friday, July 10.
Willis said Fifi was wearing a large red collar identifying her as a service dog at the time of the shooting.
Assistant Chief Gina V. Hawkins, who spoke to multiple outlets after the footage release, said the deputy had never been to the home before and had less than three seconds to react. She said the body camera showed the deputy did not initially have his weapon drawn, then retreated and announced "dog" before firing.
The sheriff's office does not have a separate policy for encounters involving animals, Hawkins confirmed. She said deputies are trained to respond to the actions taking place, not the type of dog.
The sheriff's office initially disputed whether Fifi was a service dog. Hawkins later apologized to WSB-TV and called it a misunderstanding.
Willis argued that if the deputy had three seconds to draw his gun, he had three seconds to draw a Taser instead. He is calling on the sheriff's office to establish a specific policy for animal encounters and to provide training to help deputies recognize service animals.
Willis has hired an attorney, and Healing4Heroes CEO Piper Hill said the organization plans to pursue legal action. Hill told WSB-TV that Fifi ranked among the top two or three dogs out of more than 2,000 the nonprofit has trained.
Healing4Heroes said it has not been able to get Fifi's body released for burial. Hawkins said she would look into the issue.
The deputy involved remains on active duty during the investigation. The sheriff's office has not released the deputy's name. No timeline for the Internal Affairs review has been announced.






