Police officer shoots dangerous attack dog

[seamusTX]

I'm thinking a civil suit to recover damages from the officer/department/city might make the powers that be realize that a buffoon with a badge and gun can hurt them where it hurts the most.

In most states, all that you can recover for the death of an animal is the fair market value of the animal. What is a dog from the shelter worth? $100 maybe?

One state allows suits for emotional distress, etc. I forget which one. Probably California.

We'll see what happens. Police officials will either support the officer's actions or throw him under the bus.

- Jim

[Mithras61]

I'm thinking a civil suit to recover damages from the officer/department/city might make the powers that be realize that a buffoon with a badge and gun can hurt them where it hurts the most.

In most states, all that you can recover for the death of an animal is the fair market value of the animal. What is a dog from the shelter worth? $100 maybe?

One state allows suits for emotional distress, etc. I forget which one. Probably California.

We'll see what happens. Police officials will either support the officer's actions or throw him under the bus.

- Jim

Fair market value will, of course, depend on the breed. if I have a pure-bred Black Lab, chances are I won't be able to replace it with a mutt from the local pound. I believe that they currently sell for $700-$1300 each for pure bred pups. I do understand what you're saying, though, and agree that they are unlikely to get anything for the pain & suffering (some folks get as attached to their pets as most folks do to human family members) of loosing a family pet.

[seamusTX]

The story said that the dog was from a shelter. They usually don't come with papers, and they're usually spayed.

In any case, unless the dog was an AKC champion, it's worth less than the cost of a couple of hours of a lawyer's time.

- Jim

[Captain Matt]

A policeman shooting a family dog should be treated the same as a citizen shooting a police dog under similar circumstances. If equal protection under the law means anything anymore.

[Mithras61]

The story said that the dog was from a shelter. They usually don't come with papers, and they're usually spayed.

In any case, unless the dog was an AKC champion, it's worth less than the cost of a couple of hours of a lawyer's time.

- Jim

Actually, it said they came from Atlanta Lab Rescue, which suggests that it may have at least been papered. Probably not champion stock, though, and likely still looking at the low end of the scale and not the higher end (show-grade doesn't usually end up the Rescue shelter). As you say, less than the lawyer's time.

[seamusTX]

Officer explains that when he entered the yard, two dogs ran at him, he feared "great bodily harm,” and he shot one dog twice.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/officer ... 01690.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No word from police brass.

- Jim

[seamusTX]

It never ends.

A California sheriff deputy shot his own dog.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/cr ... y-she.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[sawdust]

I'm sure I'm going to be flamed for this. But......

The dog attacked the guy, and was obviously not being controlled by the owner as can be seen by this quote from the article:

He just kind of walked up and down the neighborhood and didn't bother anybody

I have no problems with the officer shooting the dog.

Consider yourself I agree about the control of your animals (and kids), but would you really shoot a miniature dachshund?

I simply must weigh in on this issue. I am officially on the fence. The dog should have handled it better. The officer could have handled it better. Dogs, like people, have a wide range of "psychological profiles". Each one is going to firstly and automatically move into the mode that their profile (programming) dictates. If circumstances allow or demand re-evaluation, other actions may be taken instead.

As a kid, I was attacked twice by dogs. One attack was a bite from a (strange)Chihuahua and the other was a mauling from a somewhat larger dog - that belonged to my sister. The Chihuahua came running out of his yard to aggressively confront me as I was riding by on my bicycle. He got in a pretty good nip on my calf; I got in a pretty good kick on him. The other attack was much more vicious and thoroughly unprovoked (except in the dog's mind). I still carry scars from both instances.

Because of my earlier experiences, I now have a programmed, primary response to any dog (or other animal) that comes toward me at a run. To say the least, I am wary, in an aggresive way. And I will never trust a Chihuahua, no matter how small.

Perhaps, the officer had his own pre-programmed (and possibly uknown to him) responses to that type of situation.

In defense of dogs, I have also seen and experienced instances where they have gotten out of their dogdom limitations and done amazing feats.

[seamusTX]

This one actually was a dangerous attack dog, though the neighbors are complaining that the bad policeman killed the nice little doggie ("pit bull" mix):

http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Glob ... =menu227_3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What's interesting to me is that the dog took two shotgun rounds, pepper spray, and a taser, and died later.

- Jim

[flintknapper]

[quote]“The dogs were running full speed,” Wagaman wrote. “The first dog had its head down, tail down and showing its teeth.

“I felt that the dog was going to bite me and cause great bodily harm. I yelled ‘Get back!’ I stepped back at the corner of the deck and drew my city-issued weapon. I fired two shots at the dog. The distance was about three to four feet.”[/quote]



Must have been a pretty big yard for dogs "running at full speed" not to have closed the distance while the officer yelled "get back" (assessed that it had no effect), stepped back to the corner of the deck, drew his weapon and fired 2 shots.

Maybe the dogs were old?

[seamusTX]

And the beat goes on ...

A Tulsa police officer responding to a complaint about a barking dog Tuesday shot the dog on the owner's front porch. Problem solved.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... ulsa791294" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Somehow I doubt that kid is going to have warm fuzzy feelings about the police for the next sixty or so years.

- Jim

[MechAg94]

I don't think some of you have ever faced an angry dog.

Yeah, most dogs are all bluff, but how can the cops always know the difference? Police may need to be more careful, but owners need to take responsibility for their pets as well. The main problem I have is when cops knowingly go into a yard or house knowing a dog is there and still shoot the dog.

[seamusTX]

I have faced down animals that could kill me with a kick. See my avatar.

I do not accept the "shoot first" mentality, which seems to be on its way to S.O.P. Those of us who are not LEOs cannot get away with it. I have posted examples as recently as a few hours a ago.

- Jim

[Keith B]

I have faced down animals that could kill me with a kick. See my avatar.

I do not accept the "shoot first" mentality, which seems to be on its way to S.O.P. Those of us who are not LEOs cannot get away with it. I have posted examples as recently as a few hours a ago.

- Jim

I agree with Jim. There are some people who have a phobia or irrational fear of dogs in general. Add that to a person carrying a gun and I think they may be way to quick on the trigger.

A good example of this is when my family was raising a service dog for the handicapped. The dog Bailey was a fairly large but VERY docile yellow lab. During the training Bailey was to go everywhere with one of us.

My wife had to go to the license bureau on day to get her drivers license renewed. Bailey was laying under the chair behaving EXTREMELY well and totally quiet. She had been there for about an hour when a DPS trooper approached her and told her she would have to leave with the dog. My wife explained that the state laws allowed assistance dogs in everywhere, even if they were in training. The trooper told her if she didn't leave, he would write her a ticket. (Should have let him do it, but didn't.) She asked to speak to his supervisor and she would meet the supervisor outside.

When the lady Sargent came out, she would not get within 10 feet of my wife with the dog, and the dog was just sitting there showing no aggression at all. My wife tried to explain the statutes to the Sargent, but she said, and I quote 'Only seeing eye dogs are allowed.' She told my wife she would be arrested if she came back in with the dog. She was told she could leave the dog in the car (it was 95 degrees!) or take it home and come back. My wife was very upset and called me while on her way to take the dog home.

I tried to call the license office and speak to the Sargent, but was told she wasn't there. So I called the DPS headquarters in Austin and was put in touch with a a lady Captain over the licensing office. I told her about the incident, and what had transpired with the Sargent. I also advised that the Sargent had committed a misdemeanor per Texas Human Resource Code 121.003 by refusing to allow the dog to be there. She apologized profusely and said I would receive a call shortly. The Lieutenant over that office called me within about 5 minutes. I told him what had happened and he was also very apologetic. I asked him to have the Sargent call me and apologize. He promised she would call that afternoon.

By 10 the next morning, I still had not received a call, so I called the local office. I got the Sargent on the phone and she started complaining she had been dressed down by her Lieutenant and didn't like it. I asked her how about what SHE had done to my wife? I asked if she realized she had broken the law, and she stated she thought the law only applied to seeing eye dogs because a 'lawyer friend told her that'. She never ONCE offered an apology and basically acted put out with the fact we had gotten her in trouble. I told her that she would be hearing from her superiors again and hung up. I immediately called her Lieutenant back. He couldn't believe her attitude and advised she would be reprimanded appropriately for not only her actions with my wife, but for her attitude with me.

Not sure what her punishment was, but hopefully it was some unpaid time off to brush up on the state laws.

So, after that long story, I think this is the type of officer who apparently has a phobia of dogs that would be trigger happy and quickly shoot out of fear.

[seamusTX]

I am going to add one more personal comment.

I have "owned" animals my entire adult life. I have never been clear on who owns whom, though I am clear on who pays the bills.

I have been bitten by dogs only a couple of times when I was holding the dog for some procedure. I have made dogs sit on their tail by the Voice of Command. If you do not understand this, you do not understand dogs.

People have been dealing with animals for thousands of years before firearms were invented. They somehow managed to domesticate thousands of species, including elephants, without shooting them (which really doesn't do much for the gene pool).

- Jim