Posted on 04/20/2009 12:39:38 PM PDT by fanfan
A crying Elena Zappia opened her cellphone at her Greely home last night and looked at a picture of her two-year-old husky, Mika.
"I don't want to see that," her fiance Joe Priori interrupted, his eyes welling up with tears. Through damp eyes he looked at the closed phone.
"My poor dog."
Cops shot dead both their dogs -- Mika and Azzuro, a three-year-old German shorthaired pointer -- after police felt threatened by the animals' reportedly aggressive behaviour.
Zappia, 23, was walking the dogs behind their home on Emerald Links Dr. just before 1 p.m. yesterday when the dogs ran after a deer.
WITNESSED SHOOTING
After driving around the area, Zappia's search ended just west of her home. She approached the intersection of Mitch Owens and Manotick Station roads surprised to see several cops around a field. She was just in time to watch police destroy Azzuro.
"I saw them shoot the dog," Zappia said. "They turned around and said, 'Sorry you had to see that'. "
Mika was about 15 metres away, also dead.
Residents in the area called Ottawa police when they noticed the dogs wandering around.
According to police, one of the dogs tried to bite an officer. Another officer shot at the dog to stop the attack and the wounded animal ran away. Minutes later, officers shot both dogs dead after the dogs ran at them, police said in a statement last night.
No officer was injured.
After learning what happened, Priori ran from his home to the field. He stared at Mika, but police wouldn't let him approach his dead dogs.
"I just wanted to pet her," Priori later said at his home. "That's all I wanted to do."
The couple said they understand if officers had to harm Azzuro if the dog was being aggressive, but they can't comprehend why cops shot Mika, a dog that got her name from the Italian word meaning "friend."
There were numerous witnesses around the field where the dogs were on the loose.
Henry Bakker said one dog was very aggressive, but the husky appeared to be playing and it wasn't being a threat.
Priori, 29, said he wants "justice" but he isn't sure what would satisfy him. He's anxious to see the police reports.
The professional standards unit usually looks into incidents of officers discharging their service firearms.
The police force sent a crisis counsellor to Priori and Zappia's home later in the day as Zappia's father quietly buried the dogs on his property, keeping the identification tags as painful memories.
There was a ‘watchdog’ like that in Florida who made the news. She let the friendly burglars in, engaged them in play, but wouldn’t let them leave. She was a golden retriever.
Let me be among the first to say that Goober’s beautiful.
LOL.
And you can get smashed by a truck walking out of your house and die on the spot. I hope you stay indoors at all time. Only fools leave the house... it’s dangerous out there.
Life is too short to be without the companionship of a good dog.
And where do you want us dolts to walk up to?
they’re called cats and dogs, and they can and readily do transmit these worms to humans, go ahead, poke fun at me, I just gave you direct info from the CDC.
______
As a lifelong dog owner, it is your tone that is going to get you in trouble with us dog lovers.
You called us fools and dolts, so you absolutely can expect to get it back in spades.
shhh he’ll hear you and want a cookie
What is it about cops and shooting pets? They seem to really love doing it, and not just in the states, apparently.
Don't make this mistake of equating our Armed Forces with some incompetent cops.
Have you traced this back to your infection?
We get depressed because we have worms?
just kidding.....
Instead, Let’s send Canadian cops to Somali waters.
It’s being done already.
A vicious Husky? yikes mine would lick you to death before he would bite you
So would my ex-wife.
Oh, you mean all of us?
I must have broken 3 laws just by waking up this morning. ;-)
The penalties aren't as big.
You are still living, can I assume that you were not the one she was licking.
Good plan!
Wait. As what? Bait?
;-)
I was thinking more along the lines of most dogs tending to know who is a worthwhile human and those who are less so.
Every dog I have ever owned has been a good judge of character...sometimes I wish I had listened to them
Haha. It came to a point where I would not care if she were licking anyone else. That’s why she’s an ex.
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