Louisiana veterinarian charged with shooting neighbor's dog

Dr. Kelly Folse (photo courtesy of Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)Kelly Folse, DVM, 35, of River Ridge, Louisiana, was arrested Dec. 19 in connection with the shooting death of a neighbor's dog, according to a report from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Dr. Folse, an associate at Abadie Veterinary Hospital, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, illegal discharge of a firearm, and possession of schedule II and schedule IV drugs.

On Dec. 13, deputies responded to a report that a dog at a veterinary hospital was being treated for a gunshot wound. The dog, which was owned by a resident of River Ridge, presented with severe injuries and died the next day, the sheriff's office reports.

The resulting investigation came to focus on Dr. Folse, who lived next door to the dog's owner. “Folse is believed to have made numerous prior threats towards the dog because she thought it barked too much and she alleged it to be aggressive,” the sheriff's report reads. “Our investigators were not able to find any evidence that the dog had shown prior aggressive behavior, even after several interviews in the neighborhood.”

A sheriff's detective later obtained a search warrant for Dr. Folse's home and recovered two different types of narcotics, leading to the drug charges. Detectives believe Dr. Folse obtained one of the narcotics through prescriptions intended for her own pets.

While Dr. Folse worked at the hospital that treated the dog, she wasn't involved in the dog's care after the shooting, the sheriff's office states.

Dr. Folse's attorney has told local news outlets that his client did not shoot the dog. However, she appears to have lost her job as a result of the incident. Scott Abadie, DVM, owner of the clinic where Dr. Folse worked, wrote in a Facebook post, “All of us at Abadie Veterinary Hospital are shocked and disgusted by the actions of Kelly Folse. Our practice has always strived to provide the best medical care in a compassionate environment to our clients pets. The minute Kelly Folse was suspected in the incident with Bruizer she was terminated immediately.”

Dr. Abadie and his employees worked with the sheriff's office in its investigation, providing “as much information as we could to help with the arrest of Kelly Folse,” the post continues.

Dr. Folse is currently incarcerated at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.