BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- It's said that a dog is man's best friend, but for northeast Bakersfield resident Charlie Green, his chihuahua "Tiger" was even more than that.

"He was like a little person," Green said about Tiger. "He would go with me everywhere. Nowhere he'd go without me. He was my son, my kid."

But now Green is heartbroken.

On Friday, Green let Tiger out to go to the bathroom and that's when his neighbor, Dustin Allen, allegedly shot and killed Tiger.

Green tried to get his dog help, but it was no use.

"He died in my lap on the way there," said Green. "There was no saving him. He tried to stay alive. He was murdered."

Allen was arrested that night for the crime and bailed out of jail.

When Eyewitness News asked Allen why he shot Tiger, he said that it was accidental and that he was trying to scare the dog away.

When Allen was asked if he felt bad about killing the dog, he said that he did. However, significant laughter being heard behind Allen shows that he may not have been as remorseful as he said he was.

Allen is facing felony animal cruelty charges, and is scheduled to be in court on Tuesday.

Green just hopes Tiger will get justice.

"I'm going to miss him, and a lot of people are going to miss him," he said.