Animal control shelter defend decision to behead 'friendly' dog in their custody

There's been some major uproar surrounding the euthanisation of a 'very sweet' pit bull named Barney in the US state of Georgia.

On January 21 this year, the two-year-old stray pooch was rescued from the streets by Clayton County Animal Control, with rescue organisation Poor Paws ready to take him on three weeks later.

Per Atlanta News First, Barney was watched under close supervision at CCAC and apparently displayed no signs of aggression whatsoever, yet according to Clayton County Police, the dog attacked two individuals as they attempted to implant a microchip, resulting in them both needing reconstructive surgery.

Inevitably, the dog was sadly put to sleep the next day, but it's what happened afterwards that's been causing a stir.

A violent dog is supposed to be quarantined and observed for 10 days post-bite, which makes Barney's death controversial enough, but then his head was removed from his body in the aftermath.

This was to test for rabies, so the bite victims could be informed whether or not they needed jabs.

Barney was unfortunately put to sleep at the beginning of 2026 (Clayton County Animal Control)

In surveillance footage obtained by Atlanta News First, a veterinarian and their technician could be seen decapitating Barney while his body rested on a trolley.

Responding to this video, the Shelter Reform Network has questioned the lack of personal protective equipment worn by the two workers, who wore gloves but nothing else medically appropriate.

Spokesperson Mimi Steger said: "It was stunning, to say the least.

"If they believed Barney posed a real rabies risk and needed to be sampled, then why were the veterinarian and the vet tech assistant not fully outfitted with full PPE?"

Meanwhile, Georgia's deputy state epidemiologist Dr Amanda Feldpausch told ANF: "If we did not observe that animal for 10 days, we can't be confident it didn't have rabies."

Barney reportedly tested negative for rabies five days on from his euthanisation.

CCAC defended its decision to deal with the situation immediately, citing how rabies testing was paramount so that the injured staff and their physicians could make their own timely decisions.

The supposedly good-natured dog had bitten two shelter workers (County Clayton Animal Control)

Just as unsavoury was the way Barney was euthanised, allegedly, with ANF finding that the animal shelter commonly uses intracardiac injections on dogs.

This is also known as the 'heart stick' and should only be reserved for unconscious creatures.

Local animal advocate Kimberly Kirby told ANF: "The last thing on the list that you should be using to kill an animal is a heart stick. It's only for very aggressive animals."

It's argued that this particular procedure can cause pain if the recipient isn't completely unconscious.

Following Georgia's Department of Agriculture's short-lived violation investigation into CCAC, the shelter has since been found not guilty of any wrongdoing in Barney's unfortunate case.

LADbible has contacted Clayton County Animal Control for a comment.