But he insists he’s innocent and called the situation “a big misunderstanding.”

Spc. Travis Carl McDermitt of the 5th Stryker Brigade was arrested on a Skagit County warrant as he tried to enter the post last Thursday, officials said.

He faces two counts of first-degree animal cruelty with a weapons enhancement and one count of discharging a firearm, according to jail records.

In an interview Monday, McDermitt, 26, said he stopped briefly in Anacortes while moving from Fort Riley, Kan., to Fort Lewis. During his stay there, his two boxers, Sadie and Duke, got loose. He looked for them for hours, he said, but eventually had to leave them behind.

“I couldn’t wait around and hunt for them,” he said. “I don’t know if someone just grabbed them or what.”

On March 29, the dogs were found at Heart Lake park. Both had been shot. One was dead; the other had been shot in the back but survived, said Anacortes police spokesman John Small.

The dogs didn’t have tags, but a little detective work, along with some tips, helped police figure out who owned them, he said.

A witness, who also owns a boxer, told police that McDermitt had asked him whether he wanted the dogs, Small said. McDermitt reportedly told the witness he couldn’t take the dogs with him and would kill them if he couldn’t give them away.

McDermitt told The News Tribune he had talked to someone about training the dogs, but never about getting rid of them or killing them.

“I don’t understand why someone would do something like that,” said McDermitt, who said he has a 3-year-old daughter and another child on the way.

McDermitt said he was surprised to be charged in the case.

“I don’t know what they think or what kind of evidence they think they have,” he said.

McDermitt said the dogs cost $1,000 and he spent thousands more caring for them. He did not report them missing.

“I didn’t even know what happened until a few weeks ago,” he said.

McDermitt said he discovered someone had shot his dogs after Googling his own name online and seeing a news report. (The News Tribune was unable to find any related news stories by searching for his name online.)

“Yeah, I’m concerned about who did it,” McDermitt said. “But I’m more concerned about my freedom. That takes priority.”

After discovering the news story, McDermitt said he got in touch with Anacortes police about the case.

“He said he wondered why everyone was making such a big deal out of it,” said Small, the police spokesman. McDermitt made a similar comment to The News Tribune.

McDermitt said he was happy to hear that one of the dogs had survived, but said he wasn’t in a position to claim her.

“I thought I lost them for good,” he said. “I found a house to live in, but there are no pets allowed. I’m going to have to take it as a loss. I might try and get her back at some point.”

The dog was adopted by an Anacortes officer and is doing well, Small said.

Ian Demsky: 253-597-8872

blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime

Staff writer Michael Gilbert contributed to this report.