Police Shoot Dog In Front Of Family

WFSB Eyewitness3 News ^ | December 21, 2006 | WFSB

[FreedomCalls]

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Police shot a man's dog in front of his daughter on Wednesday night.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Jamie Roth reported Hartford police officers shot a St. Bernard by the front door of Glen Harris' home. ...

Harris claimed it all began when officers unexpectedly showed up in the yard. ...

"They didn't knock. They ignored the sign, the dog sees or hears (and) protects my daughter, so he ran toward him -- not growling, not foaming at the mouth, not anything," Harris said.

Police told Eyewitness News the officers were investigating a complaint about guns when the dog charged them. Two officers said they ran to the street and that the dog lunged at the second officers, who fired three shots.

Harris said his daughter saw the whole thing.

"While she's running toward the dog, they kill him. She's yelling, 'Why'd you shoot him? I was going to get him. Why'd you shoot him?'" Harris said.

Police continue to investigate the incident. The police report in the incident does not list any guns found at the Harris home and no one was arrested.

[dcwusmc]

I am out on the road every day of the week and I see our local cops pulling people over for little nitshit stuff and then towing their cars for no good reason I can see, yet the red light runners or the dangerous drivers can pull something right in front of a cop and be ignored. I guess they can't steal the car when it's only a speeding ticket. Doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy toward them. Though I DID see one cop who, instead of stealing the guy's car, called a cab for him and sent him home to be sure he was sober before driving again. I called the cop later and thanked him for being a GOOD cop, not like too many of the others in town (I was the cab driver at the time that picked up the one he sent home).

So, yes there is a LOT of highway robbery by the boys in blue... locally it's fundraising for the city... or maybe for their own budget.

[ozzymandus]

Some cops love to shoot dogs. Makes them feel like a big, tough, man, which is why they became cops in the first place

[traviskicks]

alirght, I take it back. :)

[FreedomPoster]

We have some close friends who have bull mastiffs, and my experience with them is that you are spot on.

[cowdog77]

Dang....how sad.

[FreedomCalls]

>"It is not ~standard~ procedure for police to shoot ~anything~ on raids, let alone a dog. Such shootings are rare"<

These incidents are not rare at all. Just this month alone:

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Off-duty cop shoots neighbor's dog, then helps bury it
December 22, 2006

An off-duty Chicago police sergeant shot and killed his neighbor's German shepherd Friday after it attacked him while he was walking his own dog on the city's South Side, police said.

The sergeant, whose identity was not released, was walking his dog around 2 a.m. near a neighbor's house in the 8200 block of South Rhodes Avenue, in the Chatham neighborhood, when a German shepherd jumped over a back-yard fence and attacked, said Gresham District Lt. John Brundage.

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Deputy shoots pit bull
Dec. 20, 2006

A Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a pit bull Wednesday after the dog lunged aggressively at the deputy, said Sgt. Steve Cooley.

The incident happened in the 1600 block of West Smith Road. A deputy was speaking with a resident on the driveway when a pit bull lunged out of the open door of a nearby van, Cooley said. The dog, which started about 15 to 20 feet away, ran straight for the deputy in an “aggressive manner,” causing the deputy to shoot the dog in defense, Cooley said.

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Miami-Dade Officer Shoots, Kills Family Dog
December 7, 2006

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. -- Irangel Arocho insists his 30-pound chow mix was no bad dog, despite a sign on the gate to the back yard that indicates otherwise, but that didn't stop a police officer from killing the pet Wednesday.

Princessa, a Christmas gift to the family six years ago, died after being shot by a Miami-Dade police officer who was called out to Arocho's home because of a malfunctioning alarm system. Nobody was home at the time, so the officer walked around back through an unlocked gate. That's when, police said, the dog came running at the officer, who felt threatened and opened fire. The Arocho family, however, said Princessa often ran toward visitors in excitement.

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Harris County sheriff's deputy fatally shoots pit bull
Dec 6, 2006

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Officer shoots self fighting off pit bull
December 1, 2006

MILLVILLE — A police officer shot himself in the knee Thursday trying to fend off an attacking pit bull, authorities said.

The dog was killed in the incident.

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Under attack, city officer shoots dog
Dec 1, 2006

A Richmond police officer shot a large dog yesterday when the animal attacked him on West Moore Street near the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School.

The incident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. as the officer, who was not identified, was investigating a drug complaint in the 1600 block of West Moore, police spokeswoman Kirsten Nelson said.

She said the officer was not bitten but suffered a minor injury when he fell to the ground as the dog attacked. The officer shot the dog in the head; Nelson said she did not know how many times the officer fired.

[HairOfTheDog]

Your post proves my point. The first one was off duty, that's no different than any FReeper walking down the street and defending himself from an attacking dog. I've heard FReepers say many times they'd do just that if attacked. It's one of our rights is it not?

Three of the others say the officer was being attacked and only one, the Miami story, should maybe be considered an officer error, and that only because the officer did enter a secured yard where he could have possibly avoided the dog in doing his work.

But back to you proving my point... in a country of over 200 million people, how many cops have made home visits this month, some friendly some not, where a dog was present. Just statistically? a hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Guessing here. Six ended up where a dog was killed and most look like good self defense. I wouldn't call .003% ~common~, would you?

[Gaffer]

I like policemen and support them. However, there's just no substitute for maturity. I've seen too many young bucks that have all the skills and ability, but lack the temperament to be policemen. The problem with maturity is that sometimes you need the younger ones to catch and deal with the bad perps and other times an older more mature one for other less-violent situations.

I also think that ex military personnel have a head start on maturity.

[freedomfiter2]

ops are people and make mistakes. Unfortunately, the police ranks are filled with immature males that need some aging to ripen. They are capable, fit, and have a good head on their shoulders, but the macho instinct can often lead to things like this. These people are lucky they don't live in Atlanta w here they shoot 88 year old women and then try to cover it up...


The problem is that by the time many of them are mature enough to be a good police officer, they have their twenty years in and are retired.

[kanawa]

Not all bernards are mild. ...If there's one that's slightly aggressive, there's one that's very aggressive.

No one should assume that any breed is guaranteed non-aggressive.
As well larger breeds due to their size can inflict greater damage than smaller breeds.
A cursory search yields...
In both 97 and 98 St. Bernards were linked to the death an unsupervised child. link
Jan.2006...Man left injured and shaken after attack by St Bernard link
Feb.2006...St.Bernard and Mastiff attack one dog suspected in death of another link
Mar.2006...16- month-old bitten five times by her family's St. Bernard link
Aug.2006... Vicious dog [St Bernard] attacks Coquille man at Whisky Run link
1979-1980 1 fatality, 1981-1982 2 fatalities, 1983-1984 1 fatality.. CDC

[rbmillerjr]

Now there you go introducing facts into the argument. Let the black helo crowd have their "all cops are bad" hysteria.

[gopheraj]

We've only had one liberal acting person look at it. Wanted to know how to mow/maintain the pastures. I said to get cows. LOL They backed out because it would be too much trouble to maintain the pastures.

[gopheraj]

We're warmer than where you are too. LOLL

Great hunting too. Hubby shot a turkey with a 12 inch beard not to mention the bucks. Hate to sell but need to get back to Texas. Gonna hate leaving the snows and 4 actual seasons. Texas (where we're from ) has two - hot and hotter. LOL

[sine_nomine]

I will keep posting. Hey folks - this is a great piece of property he is selling. Land. Buildings. Low taxes. Great price. No yogurt-eating, tree-hugging, Hillary-voting liberal should be allowed to hold the title. Buy now and send him back home.

[UpAllNight]

Your post shows that all were in self defense as the officer was being attacked by a large dog. Thank you for supporting this side that most shootings are justified.

[gopheraj]

Thanks. However,I am a Mamaw not a Papaw. LOLL

[sine_nomine]

OK.

[FreedomCalls]

But back to you proving my point... in a country of over 200 million people, how many cops have made home visits this month, some friendly some not, where a dog was present. Just statistically? a hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Guessing here. Six ended up where a dog was killed and most look like good self defense. I wouldn't call .003% ~common~, would you?

And every day how many mailmen, parcel delivery men, garbage men, and utility readers visit those same houses with those same dogs? You don't read of those people killing dogs in the same numbers that policemen do. They manage to carry out their visits by such means such as knocking on the door, asking that the dog be restrained, use of pepper spray, etc. Only the policemen seem to first use deadly force as a be-all and end-all solution.

[FreedomCalls]

Your post shows that all were in self defense as the officer was being attacked by a large dog.

Having a dog simply come towards you is not an "attack."

"Nobody was home at the time, so the officer walked around back through an unlocked gate. That's when, police said, the dog came running at the officer, who felt threatened and opened fire."

How is it that day how many mailmen, parcel delivery men, garbage men, and utility readers visit those same houses with those same dogs and yet don't end up killing the dogs that approach them? What is it about police that cause them to choose deadly force as a first option that the other people who visit those houses don't? Why do some policemen (and you too I guess) think that any dog that is coming towards you is "attacking" you and needs to be killed?