A Michigan family have been left devastated after a state Department of Natural Resources officer shot dead their beloved pet potbelly pig , claiming little 'Caesar ' made him feel threatened while on the loose . Brandy Savelle and Tony Gervasi had Caesar for two years and were recently trying to teach him to an outside animal . When Caesar went missing from their home in Ispheming on the weekend , the family tried to find him , and followed some tracks in the soft grass . 'When I followed the prints ... it was like a puddle of blood , at first I did n't believe it , ' Savelle told WLUC-TV . Killed : Little Caesar was shot dead at the weekend after wandering off from his family 's home in Ispheming in northern Michigan . He was killed by a DNR officer , who believed he was feral . Beloved : Brandy Savelle ( pictured ) and Tony Gervasi have had Caesar as a pet for about two years , and had been trying to teach him to stay outdoors when he wandered off . BFFs : Caesar and the family 's pet dog got along famously , the couple said . Savelle continued : ' I just started screaming for him . ' The incident became quite a big deal in the area , with announcements on Facebook quickly spreading and a page set up on Go Fund Me . A day later , a Natural Resources officer showed up at the couple 's door . 'We figured he had information so with excitement , Brandy answered the door asking if he knew anything about the pig , ' Mr Gervasi said . 'The man responded `` Actually , I am responsible for the missing pig… '' The officer explained that Caesar 'came out of the woods at me running at a trotting pace ' . He said he 'felt threatened ' so shot him . The officer maintained he believed the animal was feral . Scene : Mr Gervasi took this photo of the blood they found after following Caesar 's tracks and put the photo on Facebook when the pig was still missing , which quickly spread . Shot dead : The officer explained that Caesar 'came out of the woods at me running at a trotting pace ' and that he shot the pig , believing he was a feral animal . Harmless : The state is defending a Department of Natural Resources conservation officer who shot Caesar on the belief the pig was wild . The shooting also happened on state land . In such circumstances officers are permitted to shoot animals that can carry disease and/or damage property . Peter Wright , a law supervisor for the DNR , told WLUC-TV that the officer was just doing his job . He said the officer believed it was a feral pig , since it had no identifying marks to distinguish him as a pet . ' I want to make it very clear that it 's never ever , ever the department 's position that we want to shoot people 's pets , ' said Wright . 'If he had any inkling it was a pet , he absolutely would n't have shot it . ' Upsetting : The family are now trying to get Caesar 's body in order to bury him , but have been told they can only take possession of his ashes . Brandy Savelle and Tony Gervasi are now trying to get Caesar 's body back . However they have been told they can only take possession of ashes . Ms Savelle is demanding that some sort of recourse comes out of the situation . 'If it was that big of a mistake then we would like to see better training , ' she said . 'Let 's learn to identify not just pigs , but all pets . '
Caesar went missing at the weekend from his owner 's home in DNR . Brandy Savelle and Tony Gervasi followed his tracks and found blood . After news spread in the area , a Ispheming officer came to their home . He explained Caesar came running at him and he shot him dead . He believed Caesar was wild and a threat , he said . Shooting occurred on state land so the officer was within his rights .