Harrietta Man Charged After Shooting A Service Dog

WEXFORD COUNTY, MI. On Monday, November 27, 2023, at approximately 5:20 p.m. a trooper from
the Michigan State Police (MSP) Cadillac Post was contacted about a service dog being shot while the
owner walked him in his driveway. The incident occurred on an improved driveway off of N 33 Rd in
Colfax Township. The driveway runs through federal and state forest to the dog owner’s home. The man
and his dog were approximately 1,000 feet from the home. The dog, an AKC registered German
Shepherd and a registered service dog name Smokey, was shot while walking off the leash
approximately twelve feet in front of the owner. Smokey was wearing a black collar, and the owner was
wearing an illuminated headlamp.
The owner said he was walking Smokey during the dusk, when he heard an extremely loud gunshot and
Smokey yelp. Smokey then spun in a circle and went down just off the edge of the driveway, where he
died. The owner yelled “Hey you just shot my dog!”. He did not immediately see anyone but walked to
an area of his driveway, where he had previously seen tire tracks earlier in the day. He confronted a man
attempting to leave in a truck. The man told the owner he thought he had shot a coyote.
The trooper spoke with the man, identified as 65-year-old Douglas Alan Barnes from Harriette, and seized
his firearm. The firearm was a 7MM Browning Model 81 lever action rifle with a Bushnell Banner Power
Scope. The trooper checked the scope, and it was set on a 3X zoom. Barnes told the trooper he thought
it was a coyote and didn’t see anyone walking with the animal. It was approximately 104 yards from
where Barnes said he was hunting to the center of the driveway where Smokey was shot. A search of
the scope’s model number indicates at 100 yards, the field of view at 3X zoom is 40 feet.
A report was submitted to the Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office and an arrest warrant was issued on
December 29, 2023. Barnes was informed of the warrant and turned himself in at the Wexford County
Jail on January 5, 2024.

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Barnes was arraigned in the 84th District Court in Wexford County on one count Killing/Torturing Animals,
and one count Reckless/Negligent Use of Firearm. He was given a PR bond. His next scheduled court
appearance is on January 23, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.