Every officer I work with or know has at least one dog. I have black lab myself and would be tore up if he got shot.
But an officer cannot afford to be bitten by a dog because it might offend someone’s sensibilities.
So where is the common ground? People don’t want there dogs shot, and officers don’t want injuries that could do nerve damage and end careers prematurely. An officer retired for disability is an early retirement and the taxpayers have to pay for that.
OC doesn’t work all that hot, a Taser works well but you only have one shot and you have to hit a small fast moving target at less than twenty one feet and the chance of proper probe spread is greatly diminished and thus less effective.
The answer might be the Taser shotgun rounds but an officer can’t really hump that around on every call for service where they might encounter a dog.
Instead excoriating officers for making do with what they have, how about some ideas that protect both officer and dog?
I would suggest something the officer can turn on that uses the dogs heightened hearing senses against them, an ultrasonic device that causes them stay away from the officer.
Oh, it's just some offended sensibilities? No Problem...everybody move on. Toughen up and move along!
“I would suggest something the officer can turn on that uses the dogs heightened hearing senses against them, an ultrasonic device that causes them stay away from the officer.”
The dog in this case does not appear to so much as approached the officer in question. Indeed, the dog goes *to* the porch, *away* from the officers on the street, per the video.
The SWAT officers approached the dog in question.
Such a device could easily be used to corner a dog before shooting it. That does not make the device itself bad, however, it fails to take into account that bad cops will not restrain themselves from misusing such a device.
Contrary to what one here might believe, I don't hate law enforcement. Why would I? Theirs/yours is a necessary job and not one I would want or am fit for.
But...I love my dogs and other people's dogs and appreciate the deep bond many have with their dogs. And, I won't shed a tear if I hear of a cop shooting someone's dog and then getting blown away for it.
Why? Dogs are sometimes just animals to their owners, but for many they are family. I've seen many a strong man and a strong woman break down and cry like a baby when their beloved dog crosses that rainbow bridge. I've done that myself.
If you value PR and the respect and assistance of the community you serve, you'll find one of those better ways to deal with dogs than than to just kill them, b/c you are killing a lot more than just a dog. Your post tells me you understand the damage that does.
In the movies, it's the bad guys that kill dogs.