The police chief's response?
“We're sorry that the dog owner lost his dog over the incident," said Sgt. Daniels. "It's an unfortunate situation, but the officer was basically in retreat, and he fired his weapon in self-defense.”
Unbelievable.
In an urban or village setting, I believe that every dog-owner should be required to train his/her/their dog to instantly obey the command to "heel," as well as never to advance on another human without a direct order. And I believe if that animal can not be thus trained, or if the owner will not train it, that animal should be summarily put down.
If such a dog animal attacks me while I am on publicly-accessible property, I will kill it, if it is not under your control and you will not or cannot control it. And if you unlawfully, emotionally, and irrationally try to come for me to "get even" for doing that, I will likewise treat you as an even greater danger, man or woman.
I expect an officer of the law to do likewise, and you ought to respect his person and authority likewise. In this case under discussion, whether the LEO was mistaken in the address or not, if the owner did not, would not, or could not control his animal with intent to harm the officer, the animal should be put down. I further contend that the owner ought to be arrested as possessing a deadly weapon with intent to use.
That said, all rural environments are a completely different issue. Rural property should be treated with great respect as regarding privacy and trespassing, and its animal inhabitants likewise.
I am not at all sympathetic with a dog-owner who will not train his/her "pet" (to him/her but not to others); and who is so emotionally involved with the object of affection that he loses the sense of proportion that it is an animal.
I believe he that allows his/her sense of responsibility to place its welfare of any dog above that of a law-abiding citizen (let alone that of a LEO performing his duties), himself needs firm discipline.
Tis is a horrible one where the owner and dog were just playing when the cops showed up at the wrong house and killed a dog ho was in his won yard with his owner.Someone needs to be fired for this one.
So, if i have this straight, an intruder shot a non-government employee citizen’s dog and the intruder expects to be immune from criminal charges because he is a government employee?
““We’re sorry that the dog owner lost his dog over the incident,” said Sgt. Daniels. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but the officer was basically in retreat, and he fired his weapon in self-defense.” “
He has it backwards; the dog was on its property and was where it was supposed to be.
The officer wasn’t at the right address. He was NOT where he was supposed to be.
Therefore, the dog was truly defending, and the officer was truly intruding.