A Sharon resident says he has no ill feelings towards a patrolman who shot and killed his dog, and the chief of police says he is standing by the actions the policeman took.

Patrick Bailey of Cedar Avenue said he wasn't home when his German shepherd, Buddy, was shot Sunday morning in front of his house. Bailey claims someone let Buddy out of his house and removed his collar on purpose, and he says it's not the first time that has happened.

Police said they were called to the 500 block of Cedar because the dog had been loose for a couple of days and was chasing and barking at a neighbor. While the patrolman was waiting for animal control, the dog became aggressive and advanced on the policeman who was near a young boy delivering newspapers in the neighborhood, police said. There were also several children and a grandmother who were on nearby and were in danger, police said.

After several unsuccessful attempts to stop the dog with pepper spray, the patrolman shot at the dog 27 times -- though he didn't hit the dog that many times, police said.

Bailey said he's not angry with the police but thinks the number of shots was excessive.

"The officer did what he was supposed to do," Chief Thomas Burke said. He said the patrolman protected the kids and a grandmother who were on the playground.

"I'm not going to second guess him because I wasn't there. I'm sure he made the right decision, and I stand behind him. He's a good officer," Burke said.

Bailey said he thinks Buddy was trying to "protect" the delivery boy from the patrolman. He said Buddy was never a vicious dog though he was territorial and large.

Bailey said he's concerned about the number of shots in a residential neighborhood.

"It seemed like he was more interested in shooting the dog than protecting the neighbors," Bailey said.

"It wasn't something he wanted to do. It was something he had to do," Burke said. He added that the patrolman was "pretty shaken up" over the incident.

Bailey claims that several of his neighbors gave a different account of the incident than police gave, and said that Buddy wasn't acting aggressive.

Bailey said Buddy was a family pet and very special to his two small sons. He attended a city council meeting Thursday and told council it would be nice if the chief would look into helping the family get another puppy.

Bailey also suggested the police carry tranquilizer guns in case of situations like the one with Buddy.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com