Posted on 06/21/2013 7:03:06 PM PDT by Altariel
When Rebecka Brown returned home June 5, she noticed a business card stuck in her door.
That card was from Det. Joey Cooper, a deputy with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office.
“Naturally I called the number immediately to find out why an officer had been here,” she wrote on a Facebook page.
Det. Cooper told her he was there to serve a warrant to her husband for failure to appear in court in relation to a ticket he had received while hunting. She also found out something horrifying.
“He then told me he had to tase my dog.”
When she asked why, Brown says Det. Cooper told her that Merlin, the family’s year-old lab/boxer mix, had attacked him. “I asked him if he was okay… I was in complete shock! He said he was fine, not so much as a scratch on him.”
[Note: Merlin was attached to a 10' lead in the backyard, not roaming freely.]
“He instructed me that the taser did not shock Merlin because only one prong made a connection with him,” she said adding that Det. Cooper told her how to remove the prong. When the call ended, she went to check on her wounded pup. “Merlin wouldn’t let me near him. I could see the prong protruding from his back but but he just cowered and whined,” she said.
After several attempts to coax Merlin over so she could remove the prong, she noticed something strange about his eye. “There was a little blood under the lid of his right eye and the eyeball itself resembled an old rubber party balloon.” After she and a friend removed the prong she noticed his eyeball was ripped open.
Brown said she immediately called Det. Cooper back but got his voicemail. She then called the Sheriff’s Office to report her dog’s injuries. An hour later, she says two deputies showed up to investigate. 
“They asked to see Merlin, so I took them inside to him,” she said. “As soon as he saw them, he cowered to the side, wimpered, and started to visibly shake. The deputy took a step towards him and Merlin started to growl. He was responding to the uniform… I informed the deputy that this is not his normal behavior and that he is responding out of fear. A uniform, just like theirs, had seriously injured him…. he was afraid of another round with that uniform!”
She believes the eye injury was caused by either a flashlight or a nightstick.
Brown’s quest for accountability continued.
I tried to file a formal complaint with the Sheriff’s Department and I was shuffled away. I went to the magistrate to press charges for animal cruelty and I was told that I couldn’t because he is a law enforcement officer!!! So, I went to the district attorneys office to lodge a complaint and get an investigation underway. I was directed to the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation).”
She has also taken to the internet for justice starting a website, a Facebook page and a petition. On the Justice for Merlin Facebook page, Brown has been updating those interested in her “roadblocks” with law enforcement and the justice system, as well as Merlin’s recovery.
After multiple calls to District Attorney Scott Thomas, an internal investigation was finally started. On Wednesday, Brown says she was visited by Sheriff Asa Buck and an internal affairs officer.
Following the meeting she posted:
Both the sheriff and internal affairs feel that the investigation revealed that the deputy is without fault. He stated that he was afraid when he and Merlin met in my back yard and that the Deputy is thankful that he grabbed the taser rather than his firearm. I was further informed that the deputy had every legal right to be on the property and had a right to defend himself. They do not believe that the deputy entered my back yard with the intent of harming Merlin and that Merlin’s injuries are an unfortunate situation. After Merlin is done with all of his vet visits, I am to inform the department and they will see about getting the bills paid.
…
I honestly don’t know how I feel about all this. I’m angry that my dog was hurt. I’m very angry that my dog will never regain full sight in that eye. I’m hurt that my children are affected by this to the point that they tell me they are afraid of cops. I’m angry that the use of tasers on animals is endorsed by our county. The county considers this matter closed.
…
I’ve never known the sheriff to be anything but honorable. I am so confused and hurt.
Begin rant:
Justified? Afraid of a dog that was tied up?
There is not justification for harming an animal if you just get spooked. The deputy, according to Brown, admitted that he didn’t have a scratch on him. So how can this assault be justified?
If it had not been a law enforcement officer, the individual responsible for the injuries to Merlin would be brought up on animal cruelty charges. But because of the incestuous investigation, the perp gets to walk.
The Department shouldn’t have to compensate for the vet bills…the individual who committed the act should be the responsible party. Badges don’t grant extra rights and individuals are responsible for their own actions.
End rant.
Carteret County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Asa Buck
304 Craven Street
Beaufort, NC 28516
(252) 504-4800
If you are wondering and have read everything I've written on this thread than your reading comprehension level could use some tweaking. I'm not for onerous intrusive laws. I simply wish some dog owners or potential dog owners would be more careful in assesing the responsibilities inherent in the freedom they wish to exercise. Same thing goes for firearms owners, vehicle drivers, chainsaw operators, parents, etc.
The dog’s wounds had nothing to do with being tied out. You hijacked the thread with your rant on tying up dogs.
Several dogs have been shot by police in homes, one was killed in an apartment recently. There is another thread this morning where a police officer shot a dog in the owner’s fenced in front yard.
I see the problem as some out of control LEO, they shoot dogs no matter where you keep them. That is becoming a big problem. As a dog owner you might want to think about that.
By fenced in run, I was thinking more of a dedicated fenced kennel with shelter, typically with a slab floor and overhead fencing, not just a fenced yard. In some cases, hunting, cattle and other working dogs are better maintained in such enclosures as their instincts and efficiency are dulled when they become a household pet. IMHO, this is not irresponsible as the owners view their dog as a critical, highly specialized tool and will typically invest a whole lot more in their upkeep and maintenance than a typical dog owner who just wants (and values) a companion dog.
I do admit a good professional kennel is acceptable. Most people not big into dogs don’t get real good kennels.
Otherwise, dogs shouldn’t be kept outside. It’s not just for their safety, but for the rest of society too.
BS. Certainly, the cop is culpable and primarily responsible, as I've stated repeatedly, over and over and over again. And yes, cops have shot dogs and people in houses. I'm not disputing any of that, but you want to keep fighting that fight.
That said, I made no "rant" on tying dogs up. I simply stated my opinion, that if you have to tie your dog up outside unsupervervised, you really shouldn't have a dog.
That's my opinion, and nobody is going to change it, particularly with the weak, ill-informed, melodramatic, emotionally based arguments you've made.
I agree...LEO are in far too many cases out of control and unaccountable. That's just one of many very good reasons why you shouldn't leave a dog tied up unsupervised and at the mercy of unaccountable cops who decide to traipse through your yard. You bellow that cops are (certainly in this case) the problem, but then you argue that taking a reasonable step to protect dogs from them and limit their exposure to them (i.e. securing them in a residence) is somehow the wrong thing to do.
...I suspect some of them simply have out of control dogs they can't trust in the house or aren't willing to dedicate a proper amount of time to and are simply trying to defend their own irresponsibility.
Nope. Dogs were outside, not tethered and the owners were home. If you think that situation has any relationship whatsoever to the opinions I've expressed, re: dogs being tied up and unsupervised, than you really have some serious reading comprehension issues.
And that’s why I had trouble as mentioned earlier with an owner who had no control over his dogs and kept them out while they all worked all day.
Again it’s one thing if circumstances necessitate the dog outside unwatched, but another if they’re doing it all the time.
I just have to go through a whole lot of surreal, mental contortions to come up with a set of circumstances that would make tying my dog up outside, unsupervised the best option on a single day, much less every day.
You NEVER KNOW what may be happening at any given time. Hole blown through the house, have to leave. Can’t get back in the house. 9/11. Other crises more important than the dog right now.
Judgement of people is needed on a case-by-case basis. Generally yes you wouldn’t do that, but sometimes things happen.
Like I said, I have to go through a lot of surreal mental contortions to come up with an example. Perhaps if aliens hovered their mother ship above my town and threatened to use their death ray on every person who didn't leave their dog tied up unattended, then yeah, I might possibly consider it my best option. That is a real possibility.
I won’t condemn a person until I know just why they left the dog out once.
Anything else is just unfair.
So you don't think she's still tying the dog up outside when she goes to work?
Hmmmmm. I wonder what might have prompted her to make that decision.
I’m not talking about this case. I’m talking about any given person who might have done something like it once.
I’ve witnessed and been victim of people who did it on a constant basis. I’m not condemning someone who might need to do it once. And yes, there might be occasion to do so.
Did I miss that thread?
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