Please read the entire article — the dog was indeed tied up, but it was in the BACK YARD. The police had no business going to the back yard to leave their card at the front door.
Please read every post I've made on this thread. Nowhere have I justified what the cop did. By that same token, if there was nobody home, why wasn't the dog locked securely inside? If a pack of feral dogs found the dog tied up and mauled the ladies dog, would you feel better about it since it wasn't a cop who had no business in her backyard? If it had been a neighborhood kid with a yard that abutted her backyard, shooting the dog with a pellet gun, would that make you feel better, since the kid had a reason to be where he was?
What the cop did was wrong, no question, but the lady put the dog in a position where he was vulnerable. If you look at my analogy in a previous post, if I park my car in a bad part of town, leave the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked and walk away from it, that in no way justifies the thief who inevitably steals it, but it doesn't mean I'm not a dumbass for leaving it like that.
From what I have seen and heard, cops tend to be always looking for probable cause, and hence sneaking around looking for it. Have had them reach into my car when I was younger and pop my glove compartment open. Too young to know that was illegal, and the cops knew that too. Protesting would likely be seen as probable cause if you are young.
Their "culture" of constantly looking for something to escalate on has had the effect of alienation growing larger by the day.