Popping somebody’s Chihuahua with a .410?! Come on! Every Chihuahua I’ve ever met was an obnoxious wee beastie. However, I could never bring myself to so much as yell at one. The little tough guys are just too darned cute. Atomizing one with a shotgun would leave me devasted by guilt. That’s one mean old man.
Very likely he simply did not think the dog would be killed, only stung. A number of people use bird shot to discourage bears, but the shots are usually from a much further distance, and a bear has much tougher fur, hide, and fat than a chihuahua.
A lot of people have little practical experience with ballistics.
Cute? They’re ugly and yappy. (But I would never hurt one.)
I agree (unless this was an ongoing problem that the old man had warned his neighbor about).
'git off my lawn'...