Posted on 05/28/2005 12:34:03 PM PDT by ambrose
Cops shoot family dog
Family upset after incident in backyard
By Melissa Pinion-Whitt
Staff Writer
Thursday, May 26, 2005 - ONTARIO - A police officer investigating a fraud case shot and killed a dog in a residential backyard Wednesday.
The 6-year-old boxer named Rocky charged at the officer when he entered the backyard in the 900 block of West G Street around noon. Police were at the home to interview a man suspected of credit card fraud and walked into the backyard because they saw him and suspected he might try to flee.
"The officer felt the dog was going to attack him, so the officer shot the dog," said Ontario police Detective Al Parra. "The officer, in backing away, trips on something and falls down on his back. He sees the dog still coming, so he fires two more shots, which killed the dog."
Family members, who were devastated by the shooting, said the dog was just doing what he was trained to do: protect the property.
"He never bit anybody. He's never hurt anybody. All he's ever done is guard his home and protect his family," said Martin Pina, who lives at the home with his wife and five children.
Martin's daughter, Gloria, said the dog was always obedient and wouldn't even run away if the family accidentally left the gate open.
"It wasn't just a dog to us. He's one of us," she said.
Police came to the home looking for Gloria's brother, Mario Pina, 23. The officer heard loud music and saw the man in the backyard, where he was doing yard work. The officer shouted at him, and when Pina didn't respond, he entered the backyard, Parra said.
Pina was arrested on suspicion of fraud and burglary and was booked into West Valley Detention Center.
Parra said it is not common that officers shoot dogs, but it sometimes occurs during arrests.
"The officer has a right to protect himself. He has a right to use deadly force if he feels he's about to be attacked by an animal."
Martin Pina argued that police shouldn't have been in his backyard because they didn't have a warrant or authorization to be there.
Police said they don't need a warrant to go into someone's backyard if they are at a residence to make an arrest and see the person in the backyard. Officers need warrants to go into someone's home, Parra said.
The incident is being investigated as an officer-involved shooting. The officer, whose name was withheld pending the outcome of the case, was not placed on administrative leave, Parra said.
Melissa Pinion-Whitt can be reached by e-mail at m_pinion-whitt@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9378.
My comment was not about the situation which I believe I understand but about the poverty of insight contained in the earlier analogy. Read it carefully
Do you know what open range is?
Whining babies get a longtime freeper banned over what?
Posting the correct information that most police disability retirement is a fraud, and that this fraud extends to a majority of police?
So now Free Republic is a cheerleader for corrupt cops?
A cheerleader for Homeland Security? For the TSA?
A cheerleader for Real ID and all the schemes to tag the sheeple?
What next? Banning people for calling Arlen Specter bad names?
Yeah, Republicanism without any distinguishing characteristics. Maybe we can run Bob Dole against Hillary. He never said anything bad about any government program.
Hillary just polled 53%. Bob Dole Republicans and lame Admin Mods will hand her the presidency.
Boxers are among the goofiest and most friendly dog breeds I've come across. Right up there with Golden Retrievers.
Boxers, while they look fierce, are anything but. I grew up with Boxers and Great Danes and would not think twice about leaving a kid or anyone else alone with one.
If you asked me to describe a Boxer, I would not hesitate to use these words: goofy, clown, drool-y, overly affectionate, and sensitive.
Boxers will protect their property, but usually only if their family is there too. They care far more for their humans than their humans stuff.
And as far as protecting their family, the Boxer's first instinct is to get between the attacker and the family member. They do not show aggression unless they are unable to seperate the two and their family member is still being attacked.
Lots of nanny state/let the cops do whatever they want going around these days.
Well said.
At the Pet Faire in Orange County, they always have a Boxer Kissing Booth. The money goes to the Los Angleles Boxer rescue. :-)
I have no idea how you ever survived being around my folks' Boxer. *eye roll*
LOL!
They picked the right breed. A Boxer will kiss all day, every day.
I have never known one that would ever refuse to give a good kiss.
Not only is it odious, it is bad politics to deny there is a problem with the U.S. becoming a police/surveillance state.
This is a major wedge issue for conservatives. If the Republicans don't fix it, MANY core Republicans will stay home.
From a political strategy point of view, the Republicans could run on a secure borders platform, but they are currently giving us the worst of both worlds: A police state with sieve-like borders. Who would crawl across broken glass to vote for that?
read it carefully and acted it out with the hand puppets.
I may be the jack-booted thug that some posters have alluded to. (I Am a deputy sheriff) I am new to this forum, but I ran across it while doing a web search. Anyway, Tuesday evening while I was walking to a house to post an eviction notice I was attacked by a pit bull. The dog tore up my left hand requiring 12 stitches. I shot the dog right after he released my left hand. Apparently the home owner was still upset at us for:
-taking his sawed-off shotgun
-taking his Desert Eagle pistol
-taking his methamphetamines
about one month ago. And I entered the property WITHOUT a warrant! I had only a Writ of Restitution to serve, I was not there to perform the actual eviction yet. I do feel bad that I shot someones pet. The dog was doing what he was trained to do and I do not fault it. I love animals and have three horses and one dog. But if this happened again I would respond the same way.
So, flame away!
Well Jim if you read through my posts I supported what the officer did. I was a volunteer with tha LA county sheriff office on search and rescue so I got your back on this one.
It is the law that you as an officer or anyone in public can approach the front of a house. There is no expectation of privacy. I am glad you shot that dog, I hope you saved a clip for the owners of the meth lab too.
Hang in there and I hope you get better soon. Ignore the idiots on this site that love an animal more than a person that goes to work everyday willingly putting thier lives at risk to protect not only them but their property ( read pets) too.
I don't have a problem putting down an animal when it is a real threat. The problem I do have is the lack of familarity many people have with animals now days. Unfortunately, this crosses over to the Law Enforcement Community.
Officers of the Law are in a unique position where they are often called upon to interact with people with pets. Sometimes, as in your recent case, the pets are a threat to the life of the Officer, or even to the completion of their duty. Most of the time, however, most animals kept as pets are nervous, curious, or confused about the commotion caused by a legal interaction. Having training in basic animal behavior would be of great benefit to Law Officers and to those harmless pets that they might interact with.
The Fed Ex man>?
The next door neighbor bringing you a box of girl scout cookies?>
Where specifically is the line?
Would any of these people be able to shoot and kill your dog? I doubt it. They deal with dogs, even aggressive ones, all the time. None of them have the right to shoot your dog. I've talked to a number of these type folks (delivery men, mail men, meter readers) and they all agree there's no reason to have to fight or shoot someone's dog. They simply learn how to deal with dogs and calm them down.
WOW are you uninformed. All of them would have the right to shoot your dog, whether in Uniform or not. If You are atacked by an animal or person you have the right to defend yourself. Jim27 was an officer heading to the door of a house. The door of a house has no assumed right to privacy. ( if this is a common house) Thus officer or not if a dog attacks you can do anything in your power to stop it. If the quickest means is to shoot it so be it. Just because your animal has never attacked you doesn't mean he won't to others.
People use animals as warning devices or distractions for their property. Fine no problem. However in Officer Jim27s case he was there on the property for official business, in a public right of way, ( yes the walk way to your front door is considered public) Dog attacks, Officer life or body is threatened....= dead dog.
Because dogs are animals and not people they have little ability to reason with an outside person. OR take a command from a known authority figure AKA a police officer. Because they are animals, by their very nature their behavior is unpredictable, then the officer must assume a dog advancing in a aggressive manner is just as dangerous as a human. The officer can pull a weapon and demand a person to halt. Unfortunately dogs do not watch much TV and do not know the meaning of the situation they are in and thus shot. Sad but a fact of life.
We do not pay officers to risk their lives "deal with dogs and calm them down". If your dog is unrestricted and acting in a agressive manner to a police officer, it will be shot or peppersprayed or cracked in the head with a nightstick and that will be your fault.
If the choice is between an officer coming home at the end of his shift unharmed because he had to shoot a aggressive pet great. That means he will be there the next morning to save someone elses life by putting his in danger.
A question for all of you.....via dennis prager
" If your own dog and a complete stranger were drowning and you could only save one which would it be?"
I look forward to your answer.
No question, the stranger. Dogs are wonderful companions and loving pets, but they aren't a person.
The sick thing is when people feel that if you love dogs, you must not love people as much. That's bull.
If a dog is making a treatening move towards a LEO, he should put him down if he feels he can't avoid/restrain/incapacitate the animal and continue with his duty.
The recent shooting of an on duty **POLICE DOG** by an Officer, and the tragic shooting of a family pet by the Tennessee Highway Patrol a few years back has led me to believe that all law enforcement officers need to have training in basic animal behavior. In both of those cases the Officer panicked when the animal was behaving in a friendly manner.
Loving dogs doesn't mean hating people anymore than hating dogs means loving people.
That is true however I have seen that line blurred far more in "reasonable" peoples minds in this forum then most.
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