Rutland police shoot chained dog

Rutland police were pursuing a suspect and were accompanied by a police dog. At some point, the K-9 handler encountered a chained dog. The dogs engaged in a fight. The officer pepper sprayed the chained dog and then shot the dog, killing him.

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.

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?