Cop kills "Bear-Bear" (A Dog) at Arundel dog park: Justified?

Baltimore Sun ^ | 08/03/2010 | Baltimore Sun

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Here's the full story of Bear-Bear that I wrote with Sun reporter Brent Jones, online now and set to appear in tomorrow's Sun, print edition. It's been getting a lot of attention online. Lots of folks appalled not only that this dog was shot in a dog park, but that police aren't going to charge the cop that shot him -- or even let the public known his name. Please share what you think:

Stunned dog owners and residents of a Severn neighborhood are shocked that authorities won’t be charging a federal police officer who shot and killed a Siberian Husky Monday night at a community dog park.

Bear-Bear, a brown and white Husky that’s about three years old, was playing in the Quail Run dog park at about 6:30 p.m., running off leash inside the fenced-in area, when the officer and his wife arrived with a German Shepherd, who was kept on a leash. When the dogs began to play roughly — the federal officer asked Bear-Bear’s guardian, his owner’s brother, to call off the dog. But before he could do anything, the officer pulled out a gun and shot Bear-Bear.

Bear-Bear, who belongs to Rachel Rettaliala, died of his injuries a few hours later.

[Paladin2]

So did the Shepard have any injuries (from the other dog)?

[muawiyah]

Hmmm, Officer Neckvein perhaps, or was this the puke who shot the Boy Scout several years back.

A full investigation is required, and municipality that owns the dog park should BAN HIM immediately ~ and sue his pants off.

[heartwood]

The officer had better be able to produce a record from the vet of his dog’s treatment...produce his dog and its freshly stitched wounds...

[BigBobber]

“This is tragic,” she said. “A community of homeowners with children playing around should not have gun-crazy, off-duty policemen shooting in their area, especially a dog in a controllable situation.”

Have to agree with this. No matter what the dog was doing to the other one, it does not justify disharging a firearm in a public park with people around.

This man does not have the judgment to be a police officer. He should be fired.

[PalmettoMason]

I guess when the only tool you have is a hammer, every situation looks like a nail.

[Palter]

‘Federal’ cop off work shoots dog.

JBT use of force is always justified.

[Paladin2]

Probably confused his taser with his gun.

[PalmettoMason]

Probably confused his taser with his gun.

Oh, then it's okay then. /s

[muawiyah]

That part of the facility had open run rules. The cop brought his dog on a leash and appeared (reading the news on this one) to have attempted to walk his dog on a leash in that part rather than in the on the leash part.

Other stories indicate this may have been a privately owned dog run ~ part of an HOA.

That's possibly why the cops won't bring charges ~ they are waiting on the HOA President to bring charges ~ which I would have no problem doing.

It's obvious the cop violated the rules, and went further and violated some of the implied rules by shooting another resident's dog.

There will be some lawsuits.

[PAR35]

Around here, it’s against the rules to have a dog ON a leash in the dog park.

So it appears that the cop had a dog that shouldn’t even have been in the park.

[Paladin2]

Works in CA.

[ought-six]

Lemme see. Baltimore? Federal cop? Quick on the trigger? He sure fits the profile of an ObaMao JBT.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Eventually, citizens are going to have to start actively protecting their property from these trigger happy goons.

Or retroactively if they don’t see the badge coming before it starts shooting.

[Filo]

Just another rare, isolated example of the 99% giving the 1% a bad name. The psychotic cop and all of his peers and superiors who won’t investigate, charge or identify him.

Go team blue! Yay!

[Paladin2]

"There will be some lawsuits. "

That's a problem as one can typically only get the Justice one can afford. Whoever has deeper pockets wins.

[Lurker]

I said this earlier on another thread. ANYONE, cop or citizen, who harms one of the family pets is a dead person walking. It's only a question of when and where.

L

[Eaker]

These cops are soon going to have a price on their heads.

Copper is lucky the dog owner had more restraint and didn’t shoot his dog as he couldn’t control it even on a leash.

[dtrpscout]

German Shepards, with their masters, on a leash, are very, very violent, sudden, and aggressive. I just spent $1200 last month to get my 90 pound German Wirehair Pointer stitched back together after a visiting friend’s German Shephard went after my dog in my house and got my dog’s head in its mouth and started chewing and shaking it around. Like a fool, I jumped in and pulled them apart. A very bloody mess. The Vet took one look at my pooch before I said a word to him and asked “German Shephard?”

[lovesdogs]

running off leash inside the fenced-in area, when the officer and his wife arrived with a German Shepherd, who was kept on a leash.

You cannot do this with most dogs. The dog that is on the leash is at a disadvantage in doggie land. If he starts to make any sounds of distress, every dog in the park will run to investigate which will put the leashed dog into even more distress and some may attack.

Almost every off leash dog park has a leash/un-leash vestibule. It is there for a reason. If you let your unfamiliar dog into the park free, the dogs will run up, investigate, sniff, greet, what have you. Most dogs will stand still until the inspection is over and go do their own thing. That is if they are free to run away if danger arises. If they are not free, they are very insecure and bad stuff can and does happen.

Personally, I scan the park for Pits and let my dogs in if there are none present. I know I will hear from the Pitbull folk but I keep my dogs safe how I see fit. A youngish pit is no problem but if I see an intact male over a year old, I keep my dogs away.