Was a police search for a murder weapon cut short by a guard dog's growl?

After Kevin Davis was found dying at the foot of the stairs in his Indiana home, police initially believed it was an accident. They did not search the room where a pit bull mix was secured.

source https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-alison-davis-indiana-death-police-say-dog-may-have-been-used-to-conceal-murder-weapon/