Man killed by dog he adopted hours before

A Tennessee man was killed last week after deputies said a Rottweiler he adopted just hours before bit him.

Anthony Riggs, 57, adopted the 5-year-old male dog from the Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control on Thursday, the Jackson Sun reports. According to the Sun, the dog attacked and killed Riggs later in the day.

Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies said the call for a dog attack was made at 3:30 in the afternoon when Riggs’ wife, Kathy, called their home and didn’t receive an answer. Deputies said she went to her home with a co-worker and found the man dead.

“He never hesitated to be with dogs,” said Adrienne Riggs, Anthony Riggs' ex-wife. “Sometimes I thought he related to dogs better than to people.”

Teresa Sanchez, Kathy's co-worker, said the dog appeared hostile when she arrived, even biting her.

“He wasn’t growling or showing teeth. He just bit us like he did it all the time or something,” Sanchez wrote on the Sun's Facebook page. “It was unreal what that dog did, and he should never have been adopted out period.”

The Rabies Control’s website includes an adoption policy, but the policy contains no information about whether the facility informs potential owners if dogs have a history of aggressive behavior.

Adrienne said Riggs left behind two children, their son Thomas Riggs, 20, and Matthew Riggs, 32.