[Sender]

I have to say that this scenario is a worrisome one to me, because I have thought about how it could happen to me. My dog is the nicest you could imagine, yet he has the looks of a German shepherd and is very defensive of his peeps if he thinks someone is threatening us. He is also very curious and loves to run to the door to lick and greet everyone.

I also take him for long walks, part of it on school property where local cops patrol and sometimes run their dogs. Now I don't worry about my dog doing anything wrong, but what if a cop or two decided to check me out while walking some night and approached me in a sensibly cautious but mildly threatening posture? I'm sure my dog would do no more than alert and wag his tail, and head in their direction to lick and sniff them. However you can imagine what could occur, especially with a cop afraid of dogs.

I hate to have to put him back on a leash for these walks but hey, if it prevents the above scenario then I guess it's just part of the price we pay for living in the 21st century. I've turned it over in my head many times and if I had to watch my dog shot in this way, I'd never rest until justice was done. I couldn't put it behind me and move on.

[johnfrink]

Absolutely. Dogs are pack animals, and will move to defend those in their pack--the humans in their family. This story is somewhat interesting to me because I was attacked by a dog last week, and when the cops came to my house to take the statement, my dog went running to the door to greet them. Fortunately I was able to get him in time (though all he'd do is drown them with saliva), but you never know what can happen when a cop arrives with incomplete information.

[ironman]

If there's a leash law in your county then that should help settle the question for you. Dogs are dogs, you can not be certain 100% what they will do in every situation.