Friday, May 29, 2009

University of Minnesota police kill loose dogs, flatten tires

The dog was running loose, trying to get away from University of Minnesota police who cornered it in a parking structure. No one reported the dog trying to eat people, just that he was running loose.



When the dog was cornered, an officer attempted to hit the dog with a taser. One of the nodes missed. He lunged at an officer, and another officer shot him multiple times.

Bullet fragments flattened tires.

Milwaukee police shotgun dog to death

A loose dog that officers spent awhile trying to collar is dead after a shotgun blast.

Toronto officer shoots dog in head

A dog escaped from his yard after being frightened by thunder. The next day, he approached an officer and, according to the officer, the dog attacked. This attack was so severe that the officer was not injured at all. He so destabilized by this dog that he was able to pull out his weapon and fire three shots at the dog, with only one hitting the dog (the bullet lodged in the dog's head).

Then, this dog was so dangerous that he ran away screaming and was easily lured out by his owner and taken to a vet hospital where he was expected to recover.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Nampa police shoot and kill one dog

Faced with two aggressive dogs, Nampa police chose to shoot and kill the more aggressive of the two.

Essex county officer pleads no guilty to killing dog

For previous entries on the Essex case.

Off-duty officer Michael Wootten has plead not guilty to charges of animal cruelty after he shot and killed a non-aggressive dog on the dog's own property, mere feet from a young child.

Amazingly (appallingly?) this man has not been placed on paid leave even though he has been charged with a crime.

The reality is that nothing is in question: There is no question that Officer Wootten took a loaded weapon onto another person's property and discharged that weapon within close proximity to a young child. There is also no question that the threat had passed - Wootten's dog is the one who was loose and off-leash, Wootten's dog is the one who initiatied contact with the now-dead dog on the now-dead dog's property. Wootten, after retrieving his errant dog should have done nothing more than taken his dog to a vet. He was, after all, at fault for allowing his dog to run loose.

But he didn't. He grabbed his weapon, walked back over to the property and shot the other dog dead.

That is not the type of behavior I want to see in police officers.

Auburn police officer shoots loose dog

An Auburn, New York police officer shot a dog once as he charged the officer. The dog had been running loose (apparently common for this dog). The dog nipped one child and attacked a smaller dog. When cornered, the dog charged the officer and, given the fact the dog had exhibited willingness to use teeth on skin, the officer shot at the dog. One shot - the bullet hit the dog in the leg and traveled through the chest. Animal control officers were able to subdue the dog with pepper spray and a catch pole. At the vet, the dog was euthanized.

ETA: The original article calls the dog a pit bull. The sister of the owner disputes that, saying the dog is actually a boxer/blue heeler mix. Fascinating confusion.

Also, the updated article states that the officer attempted to use a baton to subdue the dog before shooting him.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Ottawa cops cleared of killing dogs

In April, three officers shot and killed two loose dogs. The dogs were being walked by their owner off-leash when they took after a deer. Officers were called when one of the dogs charged a person. One dog may have attempted to attack an officer, at which point the dog was shot at.

The dogs were chased into a large field where, according to officers, the dogs charged aggressively. They were both shot. They were not dead but down and, instead of waiting for a bylaw officer or taking the animals to a vet, the officers decided to shoot each dog once in the head, killing them.

The sequences of events could have been prevented had the dogs been leashed.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Crazy dog shooting out of Australia

About a month ago, a family in Australia came home to find all three of their dogs missing. After a thorough search, it was suggested they contact police. When they did, they were horrified to find out what happened.

The dogs had been kept in the family's yard but got out. They had electrified, invisible fencing that failed. The three dogs wandered up a driveway where, in the yard, some goats lived. The owner of the goats called the police. Please to be remembering that the dogs never actually attacked the goats or people.

When the police officer arrived, the dogs approached her vehicle. She pepper-sprayed all three dogs. The dogs were not attacking and they backed away after they were pepper-sprayed.

Here's the part that breaks my heart: When animal control arrived, the dogs happily jumped into the back of his vehicle. He drove the dogs to another location, shot the two huskies point-blank in the head and then, because he felt "sorry" for the border collie did the correct thing and took her to the shelter. He dumped the two dogs bodies into a lime pit. I'm sorry, but if you have three aggressive dogs, they aren't going to jump happily into your vehicle. And even if the dogs *are* aggressive, once you have them safely confined, use the nifty device known as a catch-pole to transfer them from the vehicle to the shelter. You don't just shoot them in the head.

While the dogs did not have collars and tags, they DID have microchips. Apparently, the animal control officer thought he could just bypass the whole scanning of the dogs and kill them literally an hour after they had gotten loose because "The animal control officer had no reason to believe the dogs were microchipped". I'm with the family - that's pure rubbish.

I don't know what the laws in West Tamar are, but I can safely say this case was handled abhorrently. It's sue-worthy, in my opinion (at least in the US, it certainly would be). Even if the dogs were running loose, the moment they were safely confined is the same moment that shooting them in the head no longer becomes an option. I'm just appalled by how this was handled.

Delaware cops shoot dog during drug raid

A dog is recovering after being shot by Delaware police during a drug raid.

According to this article, the dog attacked the officer. This article states the dog charged the officer.

The officer was not bitten.

The other dog was safely confined in a bathroom and turned over to animal control. The shot dog is recovering at a veterinary hospital.

Monday, May 18, 2009

3 Chicago Heights officers shoot dog to death

A woman called police when her live-in boyfriend and a relative engaged in a heated argument. When police arrived, three officers entered the home. At some point, one of the dog's got out of his crate and approached officers (walked up or charged, depending on who you ask). According to the dog's owner, the dog stopped and, at that point, was shot a total of eight times. Two of the officers shot once, while a third officer shot the dog six times.

Several of the bullets embedded themselves into the floor, leaving pockmarks. The shooting occurred directly in front of the dog's owner with several other people present.

Warner Robins officer shoots at dog sixteen times on porch

I'm not quite clear on why this officer was on the porch in the first place. We have a dog who is on its own property approached by a police officer. The dog might have scratched the officer and may also have growled and barked, all normal behaviors for a dog on its own property. These warning behaviors should have been sufficient for the officer to back slowly away and remove himself from the property.

This barking and growling offended the officer so much that he shot the dog sixteen times, enough to require a reloading of his weapon. Even though the dog had backed up into the porch, whining and screaming. Even though there were people inside of the residence. Even though the dog did not actually try to bite the officer.

The dog did die after he suffered several seizures at the veterinarian.

DC police shoot dog, bullet ricochets, hits child in head

In DC, a family's dog got out of the house in view of the family. The family's son, a 12-yr-old, immediately ran after the dog to catch him. Unfortunately, he was also toting around a plastic toy gun that looked a lot like a real gun.

Someone called police who arrived, ordering the child to the ground. At some point, the dog must have seen what was going on and approached the officer. As usual in these cases, there are two disparaging reports. Police claim the dog charged the officer, while a neighbor who witnessed the arrest said the dog did not but simply crouched. Police claim a bullet did not ricochet and hit the child in the head, the child's family claim one did (and he went to the hospital, so I imagine there was a reason for that).

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Update on Essex dog shooting

Earlier this month, an off-duty Essex police officer took it upon himself to shoot and kill a dog who had gotten into a fight on its own property with the officer's loose dog. The dog was killed on his own property within 10 feet of a 2-yr-old child. The dog was not killed during the fight but after when the officer took his dog back home, retrieved a gun and returned.

The update is that the officer is facing a measly citation for killing this dog. He is not facing any criminal charges for recklessly endangering the life of that 2-yr-old child. I don't think he's facing significant penalties for the animal cruelty charge - a citation is hardly punishment.

Officers kill three biting dogs

Three dogs in Warren, Ohio were running loose and attacked several people. One attack resulted in more than 200 stitches being required. The dogs had escaped from their yard.

When officers approached the dogs, they shot all three, killing them.

Dog shoots and kills restrained dog

Here's a case of the media really over-hyping a story

We have a dog running loose. The dog is easily restrained by people in a gas station and when police arrive, the guy shoots the dog in the head, killing him (also making it more difficult to test for rabies).

Monday, May 11, 2009

Park Forest Officer shoots charging dog

Officers showed some restraint in this case.

We have a dog who is running loose. Officers arrive on the scene and notice the dog is uncomfortable, growling and snarling. The dog charges a couple of times, barking, but backs off. The officer withdraws from the scene a bit to contact another officer for a tranquilizer to dart the dog. At some point the dog returns and begins to charge again at full force. The officer draws his weapon and fires once at the dog, injuring him. The dog flees back to his own home where his owners find him. The dog is taken to a veterinary hospital by the police.

Stockton police shoot and kill transient's dog

Stockton police were engaged in a "law enforcement sweep" when they encountered a dog who was acting territorial and aggressive. The dog was shot twice and killed.

It is not clear if the dog was leashed (we'll assume not) or if the police tried to ask the owner (who refused to come out of her tent) to contain the dog.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

New Zealand police corral two dangerous dogs w/o shooting

We have a story out of New Zealand where two dogs broke from their chains and savagely mauled an elderly man. A passer-by was able to kick one dog off and beat the other dog with the metal bar attached to the dog's chain (which was still attached to the dog). After that, the dog backed away from the bite victim.

Officers arrived and used their cars to bodily corral the dogs into a safe, confined area. They used pepper spray and a fire extinguisher to subdue the dogs enough to safely handle them.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Chikamauga dog shooting update

I blogged earlier in the week on the shooting death of a mixed breed dog in Georgia.

The chief of police has talked with reporters now and is offering a more detailed description of what happened. It includes that the officer had attempted to go back to his vehicle for some pepper spray.

Now, here is what I don't get. The officer and caller were standing out in her driveway discussing the incident while the dog was pacing and barking mere feet away. Even though they knew the dog had been able to walk up the woman's front stoop, they somehow assumed the dog wasn't planning on coming back over the fence. They knew the dog had been running loose for several hours. They knew where he was located and what he was doing, yet they chose to stand their and act shocked when the dog repeated the same behavior as it did earlier in the day - barked and hackled and growled at people.

In my mind, it seems more prudent to remove civilians from the situation and assess the dog from the safety of a vehicle, THEN grab your pepper spray, a catch pole and see if a safe, non-lethal method can be attempted. Bring another officer to boot. If a reasonable effort is not successful and the dog cannot be safely confined or cornered, consider monitoring the dog and contacting neighbors to find the owner. This isn't a large city, it's a town of 2,200. I think it's fair to make REASONABLE efforts to use nonlethal solutions. And I think this dog would still be alive if a different tactic had been attempted, maybe not.

When it comes down to it, though, we have an owner who KNEW that the dog could get out of his yard. There was a hole that the owner chose not to fix, for whatever reason. When you know your dog can get out, you know he can get into trouble. He could be hit by a car, get into fights with other dogs, get poisoned, or, in this case, get shot and killed, his body dumped into a landfill for you to dig out later. All because a person chose not to block a hole in the fence.

Middletown officer shoots dog that charges him

A dog is dead after running loose, biting one woman and charging an officer.

Bartlesville officer shoots and kills dog

Here is some creative reporting.

The dog is running loose. He's maybe barking at folks. Because of his breed, he should be painted as a rogue ninja bent on world destruction by, you know, not biting people. I'm not saying he was a nice dog, I'm saying he exhibited rather fearful behavior - barking, approaching, running away, barking some more. I bet the whites of his eyes were showing, he was maybe licking his lips, tail either tucked or flagging to show his arousal and fear. Maybe not. Maybe he really was a Bad Dog.

It doesn't matter now, he was not given the time of day to see if he was just a scared dog out of his element. He was shot and killed.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Charleston County deputy shoots and kills dog

A dog was shot and killed after it charged at an officer. The dog had been running loose and police were called. The dog was back on its own property when the deputy approached. The owner was within feet of the dog.

Acworth officer kills dog after being bitten

An Acworth officer shot and killed a dog who was loose and bit him once on the leg.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Chickamauga chief of police kills dog

A 14-mos old dog was shot once in the head by a Georgia police chief for "acting in an aggressive manner". The dog did not bite and was apparently moving slow enough for the chief to aim and hit the dog dead between the eyes. In lieu of trying to find an owner, he contacted city garbage services and had them take the dog to the landfill...where the owner later had to dig his body out for burial.

Sangamon County deputy shoots and kills chained dog

A dog owner is upset after her chained dog was shot and killed by a Sangamon County deputy.

The officer was responding to a noise complaint at a different residence when he knocked on the back door of the dog owner's home (after avoiding the front door b/c of another dog being present). She asked the deputy to wait a moment while she went to get another resident of the property.

According to two witnesses, the dog approached the officer and was visibly chained. The officer backed up and this is where reports diverge. The witnesses claim the dog did not bite the officer while the officer claimed he was bitten. He did go to the hospital for a minor wound. The officer shot the dog once in the head, killing him.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Battle Creek officer not charged in shooting death of dog

In March, a dog (one of three) running loose was shot and killed by a Battle Creek police officer. There wasn't much information about the why of the shooting, except the officer stated the dog charged him. The other two dogs were euthanized without the owner being given an opportunity to reclaim them. That's a bit sketchy.

Recently, the officer was found guiltless of any wrongdoing and that the shooting was justified. Take it as you will, but in the comment section, one person claims she was a witness and saw the dog get shot from behind as it ran from officers. And the other two dogs? They were easily captured when they returned to the dead body of their pack-mate.

The news agency covering the story brings up that, in the past month, Battle Creek police officers have shot ten dogs. That is unusually high. There are about 120 sworn officers in Battle Creek. I do not know how often they discharge their weapons or if discharging into/at a dog is in the top three reasons for discharging a weapon.

Hernando deputy kills dog

A Hernando County, FL police officer shot and killed a dog who ran out the same door as the suspect the police officer was trying to arrest.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Syracuse officer shoots dog

 Officers were responding to a tripped alarm when three dogs from a neighboring home slipped through a hole and charged.

The dogs charge and the officer shoots one, at which point the other dogs redirect onto the wounded dog. No mention of if the dog survives. The owner was ticketed for having unlicensed dogs and allowing his dogs to roam (he had four dogs and only two leashes).

St. Paul SWAT drug raid and across the pond

A SWAT team in St. Paul shot and killed three dogs during a drug raid. They knew the dogs were present. The fourth dog was confined and left unharmed.

A sad story out of England where two dogs were killed by police while defending their master's body. Their owner had died of natural causes. When paramedics arrived, the dogs were obviously agitated and felt threatened so they stood guard over their owner's body.. One dog was shot and killed instantly, the other ran away. When he was cornered, the dog was tasered and taken to a shelter. Shelter employees claim he was "too aggressive" and he was subsequently euthanized...even though the owner had a partner who would have taken the dog back.

Hurst chief of police seems proud of his dog shooting record

A dog owner in Hurst, Illinois is upset after an officer shot his dog three times, requiring the dog to be euthanized. The dog, an intact female with puppies, began to wander into a parking lot across the street from where she lived. It is there that she was approached by the chief of police. According to the chief, she put her head down and growled. At this point, the chief drew his weapon and shot the dog three times, twice in the shoulder (breaking her shoulder) and once in the neck...she was later euthanized by animal control.

But we soon learn that the chief of police doesn't really have a problem with discharging his weapon into a dog - he's shot three dogs in the past five years. In a town of 800, that's pretty impressive. I mean, comparably, 820 officers in Omaha, Nebraska have killed 39 dogs in one year, 800 officers in Tulsa, OK killed 25. Both Omaha and Tulsa have around 400,000 people. I'll grant that Hurst is probably a lot more rural and may not even have a leash law. Still, it seems that the chief is a smidgen trigger happy when it comes to dogs.

Calgary police versus Corpus Christi police

A Calgary dog was tasered three times. The dog, a 9-mos-old Presa Canario puppy, became very agitated when his owners began to fight. SO much so that he redirected onto his owners, biting them several times. Police were flagged down and the dog was tasered once during the attack, a second time when it appeared the dog was about to charge again and a third time when he was cornered on a porch. The dog survived and is at the shelter. The photo shows a very frightened dog, sad. The dog was initially identified as a pit bull.

In Corpus Christi, Texas, we see the other end of the spectrum when a police officer shot at a dog who was charging him, even though the owner was literally feet away. The dog got out of the house and ran down the steps but did not attack. The officer shot at the dog, missing, and the sound probably scared the dog off. The custodian of the dog was able to leash him safely.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Youngstown officer kills dog with shotgun

A Youngstown police officer shot a stray dog with a shotgun, killing the dog. According to the news article, the dog was shot because an animal control officer was having difficulty snaring the dog with a catch-pole.

Off duty cop accused of killing dog

Whoa, here's a messed up story out of Waterville, Vermont.

A dog belonging to an off-duty police officer was running loose. He entered the backyard of a neighbor and engaged in a fight with the neighbor's dog. The neighbor's dog was on his own property. After the police officer broke up the fight, he took his dog back home, grabbed his gun, walked back to the neighbor's yard and shot the dog once, killing him. And, it gets better, he shot this dog literally feet from a 2-yr-old child.

It will be interesting to see if any charges stem from this shooting. There is something very wrong with a person who refuses to take personal responsibility for confining his dog and expresses his anger through the use of a lethal weapon. I mean, that goes without saying, right?

Officer cleared in death of dog he shot 13 times

In mid-April, a police officer shot a 42-lb, 7-mos old dog 13 times when the dog ran up from the basement after a fleeing suspect ran down into the basement. The suspect, by the way, was not related to the owners of the house but did know the owner's son.

Unsurprisingly, the officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing.