Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google

JONESBORO, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Shelter staff described a 2-year-old pit bull named Barney as  people-friendly and very sweet  when he arrived as a stray to the Clayton County Animal Control facility in late January 2026.

The shelter had not documented any aggression toward other dogs or staff, until weeks later when a rescue was coming to pick him up.

Clayton County Police Department, who runs animal control, said Barney  attacked  a kennel staff and state prisoner on work duty at the shelter when they attempted to insert a microchip in him. The next day, Barney was euthanized. His head was then removed and sent for rabies testing. Advocates said Barney wasn't to blame for the incident.

Atlanta News First Investigates obtained shelter records, email correspondence, and surveillance video that raise questions about whether the county followed state protocols, and whether it accurately reported the timeline of Barney's death to state inspectors.

Clayton County police say the dog named Barney bit a prisoner on work duty and a staff member after they inserted a microchip in February 2026. (WANF)

Barney and the bites

The animal control officer who picked Barney up off the streets on Jan. 21, 2026, wrote a police incident report stating his offense was  running at large. 

Barney was not neutered and therefore placed on the urgent list as rescue only.

Three weeks later, on February 12, the animal rescue organization Poor Paws said it was coming to get him. Staff and two state prisoners then inserted a microchip near his neck in preparation for his release.

The Clayton County Police Department captain in charge of animal control, Kevin Hughes, said they bring inmates to work at the shelter because they are understaffed.

Surveillance video, obtained through an open records request by Mimi Steger of the Shelter Reform Network, showed an inmate wrapping a rope leash - known as a  soft lead  - around Barney's snout as a makeshift muzzle. After the microchip was inserted, the prisoner removed the lead. That's when Barney lunged.

T

#atlantanewsfirst   #crimewatchatlanta