Photo of Aubie, the dog that was shot (Photo: Justice for Aubie, a Facebook page)
Posted on 07/27/2012 9:25:56 AM PDT by Altariel
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) – A dog was killed recently as the Morgan County Drug Task Force served a search warrant. Now, the Sheriff’s Office is fielding complaints about the animal’s death.
The dog was shot while the Morgan County Drug Task Force was conducting a search for illegal sales/possession of narcotics and marijuana at the Cedar Key Apartments in Decatur. Four people were arrested.
Photo of Aubie, the dog that was shot (Photo: Justice for Aubie, a Facebook page)
Someone has set up a Facebook page called ‘Justice for Aubie’, the golden retriever who was shot. Be warned, the Facebook page contains graphic pictures of the dog after it was shot.
It’s not clear who set up the page. It only says it was “created in honor of Aubie, a golden retriever who was shot and killed without reason during a search by Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.”
Sheriff Franklin said at a news conference Monday that information on the Facebook page is wrong. “The comments on Facebook are inaccurate,” Franklin said at a Monday afternoon news conference. “It’s false. It’s intended to mislead the public and to alarm them and aggravate them.”
Franklin says deputies were forced to shoot the dog when it lunged at them. She says comments that deputies should have called in animal services before deputies entered are ridiculous. Franklin says deputies were forced with a split-second decision and they did the right thing.
Sheriff Franklin also issued a stern warning.
“If you’re a dope dealer and you’ve got a dog, and you’ve got that dog to protect you, and you’ve got that dog to try and limit us, then you need to be aware of the fact that if it makes an aggressive move toward us, or anybody else, there is a possibility it’s going to be shot,” said Franklin.
Screw that.
I’ve never known a Golden lab or retriever to ever bite somebody.
It’s a damn golden retriever!
Do NOT go to the website if you’re not strong. The video is absolutely heart wrenching.
It’s getting to the point where we need to give our personal information to people we trust, because the SWAT team will shoot you on sight and, if they make a mistake, they will cover their ass.
Your 90 year old grandmother is going to be portrayed as a thug, if the sheriff’s department has anything to say about it.
Makes sense, but the problem is according to reports police are shooting dogs of people who aren't dealing dope, too. In many cases it seems to be the first thing they're conditioned to do when encountering a pet dog while answering a call.
They'd better rethink this policy or they're gonna be faced with a public relations nightmare.
Assuming they still care what the public thinks.
“If you’re a dope dealer and you’ve got a dog, and you’ve got that dog to protect you, and you’ve got that dog to try and limit us, then you need to be aware of the fact that if it makes an aggressive move toward us, or anybody else, there is a possibility it’s going to be shot,” said Franklin.
I like a sheriff who doesn't back down on killing dogs.
Yes I do.
/s
From one of the comments;
This just in from a witness of the apartment complex: The owner of the dog, which was an Iraqi soldier, was told by his superiors that he needed to get a dog to help him with his psychological situation. Regardless of any criminal acts that may have taken place in that apartment, this dog was obtained and became part of the family for the sole purpose of helping one of our men that went to battle for our country. He needed the dog to help him get back to normality and the dog needed him as well. He was a very loving natured dog and was NOT aggressive in any way. If frightened, he would most likely have ran. There were 3 shots fired in the apartment and all 3 shots hit the dog. The shells remain in the apartment to prove this fact, and there are all kinds of witnesses to relay the same. Mr. Richard, you want facts, talk to some of these folks. And on another note, this poor dog was serving this young man to help him in the real world. Now, what was to happen if the drug force had brought in a K-9 unit and somebody just so happened to have shot one of their dogs and killed it. They would be charged for murder! These cops are not above the law! And Ms. Ana, I don’t care if it was your birthday, nobody deserves this kind of justice-—unless you were the dog. Signed, Lesa Rasbury and Nesa Tucker.
They don’t have to care.
Every shot dog is going to be a pitbull and every dog owner will be a drug dealer.
Dope dealers don’t use goldens as guard dogs. Goldens are more likely to show you where to find the dope than to protect it.
Also, the video, the website, pictures; none of it indicates if the dog was owned by the people who were busted or if the dog was a neighbor’s dog or owned by someone other than someone who was busted.
In the video, the dog is pretty stiff. It appears to have been placed in a white trash bag, wrapped in a blanket and placed on a bed. The video shows someone unwrapping the dog and at some point he says, “If I wasn’t so pissed right now I’d be crying.” The poor animal was just a puppy. If anything, it was probably trying to play. I’ve never met an aggressive golden. It’s just not in their nature.
All of that aside, if this video was made by the people who were arrested, then my assumption has to be that the cops busted some low-level street dealers in their residence and they bonded out shortly after being booked. They returned home to tend to their dead friend. If this is the case, then shame on this police department for their thug tactics against these dealers. I’m not advocating what they’re doing, but to blow down someone’s door with a SWAT team, shoot the family dog, and all to bust some street dealers is inexcusable.
The family dog is now another victim of the “War on Drugs.”
Agreed. Goldens, by their nature, are sweet tempered. But that can be modified by training or circumstances.
I've said this very same thing time and time again. If you shoot a police K9, you would be charged with murder and be up against the same charges as if you shot a human cop.
On the other hand, cops shoot the family dog and there are no charges and the investigation is closed quick. The family dog is considered a member of the family, and in my opinion, the shooter should be investigated as if they took a human life.
Our society is so f'd up.
As a dog owner I cannot fathom the anger these people must be feeling.
A bureaycrat is the most dangerous individual in the world. They obey without question any order they receive. They kill any who they are ordered to without question, remorse, or pity. It is the bureaycrat s who carry out the dictator's directive to kill whom, when, where, and how.
I’m a law-abiding citizen in every way. I do not invite people who are involved in illegal activities in my home to prevent this sort of thing. I live in a part of town that is exceptionally low-crime and devoid of people who could be mistaken as potential drug dealers or otherwise. If the police pulled this shit on me, you can bet that there’d be more than just a dead dog in the house. You kill my pet you’d better be prepared to kill me too.
Since the government is still (marginally) responsive to the people, people had better start taking close notice of the corrupt, and very dangerous, direction their government is going.
This is the Drug War you so ardently defend. Just sit back and enjoy it.
You do now. I was looking at an old 1100 Katana a guy had for sale. His Golden managed to get out of the back door of his house while we were looking at the bike and went straight for my leg. I moved enough at the last second so that the dog got mostly pants and a little skin.
I was shocked. I've worked with veterinarians and my parents owned a kennel, and I had never seen a dog go after someone like that before. The only reason I could come up with is I was a White guy and it's owner was Black. I looked different. So I can see how a dog would feel threatened by the whole Jack-Booted thug costume the local cops are so fond of these days.
The police are only a reflection of the government they work for. A reflection with the option of lethal force.
Are Mailmen that much smarter than the police on drug raids? Or do these police just enjoy killing?
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