Posted on 03/17/2017 9:36:55 AM PDT by JoeProBono
A New Zealand airport security dog was fatally shot after he ran onto the airfield — leaving many distraught over his untimely death.
Grizz, a 10-month-old bearded collie mix, was training as a bomb-sniffing dog when he broke free around 4 a.m. Friday at Auckland Airport, according to media reports.
Aviation Security Services tried for three hours to capture the pooch, who was not on the tarmac, according to reports.
But officials said the prancing puppy’s escapades held up 16 domestic and international flights.
“Auckland Airport staff directed police to shoot the Avsec dog, which was loose at the airport this morning,” Tracy Phillips, police inspector, told the New Zealand Herald. “This is not an outcome anyone wanted, and police were only asked to be involved as a last resort.”
A spokeswoman for the airport told Fairfax New Zealand that staff was devastated by the canine shooting.
Many of his fellow New Zealanders were distraught, too.
Juliette Banks, an author based in Auckland, tweeted her disgrace after Grizz’s untimely death.
“Embarrassed to be a kiwi today. Killing a dog so flights can continue Auckland Airport. No excuse! Disgusting #poordog #aucklandairport,” she wrote.
Hilary Barry, a morning news host for New Zealand’s TVNZ, condemned the shooting on a Friday morning broadcast, arguing cops shouldn’t have shot Grizz.
“They shot the dog. Do they not have a tranquilizer gun?” she said. “They shot it dead ... they’ve got to have tranquilizer guns, surely.”
Callum Irvine of the New Zealand Veterinary Association said it’s not a sure thing that tranquilizers will be around, however.
“There just isn't ready access to tranquilizer guns and darts in New Zealand,” he told Fairfax New Zealand, “and even if authorities did manage to get their hands on one in time, there are so many other factors to take into consideration, like how close the animal is, the animal's weight, age, and how much adrenaline was also running through the body.”
A security dog in training who was so poorly trained that the trainer had no way of getting the dog to come back and heel in THREE HOURS.
No amount of food, calling, water, treats, could get the dog to come. 16 or more human beings couldn’t figure out how to encircle and capture the dog.
How do they keep stray dogs and cats out of the way of airplanes, much less wild creatures?
Guess they haven’t heard of tranquilizer darts over there. So if a bomb explodes there in the near future do you suppose they will regret killing the dog?
Authorities with guns can’t pass up an opportunity to shoot a dog!
It’s that simple. I don’t know why, but apparently it’s a “worldwide” phenomenon.
Sheer incompetence. The dog should be trained in basic obedience to determine if they even have the demeanor to be a working dog before they receive any specialized training.
God,a baby.
There HAD to be a better way.
.
.
So this moron would let the human passengers of those flights unable to land be endangered because of a dog. SHE is the one who should be shot (along with the dog)
Surely, in the three hours that they spent on their Keystone cop efforts to corral this dog, they could have tracked down an exceedingly rare (???) New Zealand tranquilizer gun.
I really hate reporters use of tarmac. Most use it indiscriminately, and have no idea what it means.
That's the problem with watching too many nature rescue programs.........The assumption is that everyone has them.
They're nothing more than air guns shooting big, bulky darts and definitely not accurate when trying to shoot a dog running amok..........
Killing a dog so flights can continue Auckland Airport.
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ah yeah THREE HOURS of circling an airport because they cant land ???
That plane load of humans could have run out of gas...crashed, killed people...
Still...poor doggie...
That’s what happens when you don’t follow police commands. Police probably were in fear for their lives, too.
These people were totally inept. First, they were lousy trainers. Second, they couldn’t get a puppy in tow for 3 hours, they had to kill the poor little thing? Mega jerks! They should not have dogs.
There are no Millbones or bot dogs on the Island? What a crappy trainer.
At first I was going to ask why a police dog was so poorly trained, then I saw that it was only 10 months old.
Poor puppy.
“Juliette Banks, an author based in Auckland, tweeted her disgrace after Grizz’s untimely death.
“Embarrassed to be a kiwi today. Killing a dog so flights can continue Auckland Airport. No excuse! Disgusting #poordog #aucklandairport,” she wrote.”
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I’m not happy about the dog’s death either, Ms. Banks, but there is such a thing as fuel. The airplanes can’t continue to circle the airport forever. They tried to catch the puppy for three hours.
“There are no Millbones or bot dogs on the Island? What a crappy trainer.”
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No kidding! When my dog gets loose (I live in a rural area), all I have to do is shake the aluminum can of Millbones “snack treats”, as I call them to her. She comes running back inside.
In fact, all I have to say is the phrase, “snack treat” and she cocks her head and looks at me imploringly. :)
Food is a great way to motivate a dog. LOL!
“Guess they haven’t heard of tranquilizer darts over there.”
Airports are huge expanses. They probably couldn’t get close enough to use one.
“So if a bomb explodes there in the near future do you suppose they will regret killing the dog?”
Probably not as much as they’d regret it if the dog got sucked into the engine of an aircraft that was trying to take off.
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