Police arrive at wrong house, shoot dog (Video)

CNN ^ | April 17, 2012 | CNN

[beaversmom]

Police arrive at wrong house, shoot dog

[Gennie]

Oh, and I mean hitting the dog if he kept advancing and tried lunging...not just hit the dog cause he’s merely barking at a distance.

[Usagi_yo]

Yes, and it happens. Sometimes even one government agency will will forward unfounded criminal complaints to other agencies to get things like this to happen in order to harass someone who’s been giving them trouble

[dog breath]

As always it is the dog's and owner's fault at least according to the police. It is a shame these dogs keep making these officers shoot them. (sarc)

[Paladin2]

Long past time to move out of ‘rat infested cities.

[Paladin2]

"Why not pull out the baton and crack the dog? Trigger happy. "

Why not pull out your Nerf gun and shoot them with some Milk Bones or bacon treats?

[prof.h.mandingo]

I agree with you on your main points. I have four dogs and they are family. I was also a LEO with the state police. I watched the tape and heard the video. I think the officer was too hasty to pull the trigger. But let's look at what he thought he was walking into. MAN WITH GUN. You have a split second to react or you may be dead. I have seen other cases where it was much more clear cut as to the officer being a total moron.
The officer IMO fired too soon. He did not give the man any time to react to stop the dog. Also if you have ever been in a life or death situation your adrenaline is flowing at the max. I never had to kill anyone but I was about a half second from blowing a hole in a guy (warrants out on him) who didn't like me for some reason. Luckily for him he saw reason and I didn't fire. But I would have and would not have lost any sleep over it.
This one was a tough call but if I am going into a situation where the only info. I have is man with gun I am going to be prepared. I agree training is not what it used to be. I guess the only thing I can say is I am not sure if I would have shot or not but I would like to think I would not simply because I have been around dogs all my life.
I think it is a valid point to determine if an officer has an unreasonable fear of animals. That needs to be addressed. But the case here is one of those where I can see both sides but tend to come down on the side of the owner of the dog.

[Gennie]

LOL! While I wouldn’t expect that, that reminds me of how when UPS arrives sometimes they bring doggie treats, I guess they must be more prepared than the police for meeting dogs on properties.

[servo1969]

Why didn't he spray the dog? Or is that not done anymore? Why did he pull his gun the second he saw movement? Who was threatening him? Seems that among a lot of cops it has now been decided that if a dog barks and charges at them (challenges them for being a stranger on their turf as pretty much any dog will do) then that is a dead dog. That's the impression I get. "Man, a dog comes at me, I'm shootin' that m***f***." And why not? There will be no penalty of any kind. The Dept. will have their back.

[Gennie]

I agree with you on your main points. I have four dogs and they are family. I was also a LEO with the state police. I watched the tape and heard the video. I think the officer was too hasty to pull the trigger. But let's look at what he thought he was walking into. MAN WITH GUN. You have a split second to react or you may be dead. I have seen other cases where it was much more clear cut as to the officer being a total moron.
Can you tell me why he would think he was walking into a situation with a man holding a gun? According to the 911 call, it sounded like the woman reported a drunk man and a woman running away?

[2harddrive]

Maybe this police “Officer” was just trying out for a postition on the federal BATFE! They have standing raid orders to kill all pets FIRST.

[jrg]

I fully agree. Eye for an eye. I’d shoot the cop that shot my dog without a thought Wouldn’t bother me in the least to remove a dumb son of a bitch cop from the planet.

[Jack Hydrazine]

It’s all part of the third worlding of America!

[muawiyah]

It's better to assume the dog has already had his one bite.

First of all a dog is property. Secondly if your dog bites anybody, and that includes a copy\, a letter carrier, a meter reader, a young child, or somebody ~ anybody, the lawsuit against you will be ruinous.

The cop, if wrong, is still saving you from a serious lawsuit.

[Piranha]

Dinner for the President?

[imardmd1]

This is an issue of training, communication and discipline. All 3 are missing from too many police departments across the country!!

Actually, it is not the police training that is at fault, it is the determinate negligence of dog owners to train, discipline, and instill automatic obedience to voice/hand commands to their "pet." Neither will they commit to be accountable for the pet's unacceptable behavior. Instead, they typically shift the blame, then publicize the event to a touchy-feely pet-lover community whose compassion is often misplaced.

On the other hand, the police professionals understand exactly how to achieve immediate, unquestioning obedience in their K9 dogs. Why should not the dog owner commit to the same level of accountability?

Lack of owner responsibility for control of the dog may well be the underlying reason why so many incidents are increasing. A plethora of untrained pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans not temperamentally suited for urban families may also multiply these tensions.

[muawiyah]

Then there are the brain damaged Chihuahuas so beloved of the blue hairs.

We helped the mother in law by sausage training hers until he could hardly stand up to say nothing of running straight at you with mouth open, yapping, and snapping.

Then some do-gooder put him on a diet. Just darn!

[Salamander]

Thirty years ago I had to break loose of a Norfolk cop’s hold and knock down/throw my body across my dog to stop another cop from killing him.

This happened in an apartment where Navy MPs, Norfolk PD, VA PD and some kind of “SWAT” team had arrived to collect my UA husband, even though he was going to the base the next day, voluntarily.

[the dog was in adjoining room behind French doors and no threat to anyone at *all*]

When I was 20, I had a lot more to live for than I do now but the ‘choice’ wasn’t even conscious.

I just jumped.

I’d do it again.

It’s nothing “new”; they’re just more liberal and brazen about it, now.

[imardmd1]

This one was a tough call but if I am going into a situation where the only info. I have is man with gun I am going to be prepared.

Thanks so much for the reasoned professional viewpoint.

There's a lot of irrational instability and passion from pet-lovers vs policing procedures. It will help me keep in mind the importance of not inviting such confrontations.

[prof.h.mandingo]

You are correct. I misheard the 911 call. Hearing is going out I’m afraid. NO REPORT OF MAN WITH GUN. I WAS TOTALLY WRONG. SORRY. Given the new information the officer was totally out of line. There is no way I would have reacted that way. Sorry again. The only thing I can say is most calls especially now can make you tense but he was unjustified to do what he did.