Posted on 10/25/2013 5:06:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Boise family is outraged over the death of their 5-year-old dog. Sunday afternoon, a Boise Police officer fired his weapon at the dog, killing it.
For years, Gabrielle Stropkai found companionship in her dog, Kita, calling her a lover and a friend for her son Hayden to grow up with.
“We have kids who run up and pull her tail and grab her by the back of the neck and get in her face and she does nothing but love on them,” said Stropkai.
However, as two Boise patrol officers were investigating a theft that was reported in the area of Woodlawn and 28th Sunday afternoon they felt threatened by Kita.
According to Boise Police spokesman Charles McClure, Kita began running toward them and the officers felt forced to protect themselves.
Neighbors like Bryan Adams were outside at that time and saw it happen.
“She was walking by and went 'ruff ruff' just a couple of little ruffs and that's when she was walking by she didn't jump at him or anything,” explained Adams.
Other witnesses to the incident described the dog as barking and snarling at officers as it approached them.
Stropkai tells KTVB she let Kita outside to use the bathroom and she was in her sight when the officer made an instant decision.
“In about five seconds he pulled his weapon, asked whose dog it was, and shot her in the back of the head,” said Stropkai.
Stropkai explains her two-year-old son Hayden was also witness to the shooting.
“Hayden was outside, about two feet away from me,” said Stropkai's mother, Michelle Pierott. McClure said the two officers were standing in a parking lot when one decided to fire a single shot at the dog when it came within three feet of them.
Kita, a mixed breed, was hit and died at the scene.
“By the time I came out she was down, (I) ran over and looked back and said you just shot her,” said Pierott. “Kita wouldn't have attacked.”
However, the Boise Police Department disagrees. In a statement issued Sunday evening by the department Deputy Chief Pete Ritter had this to say.
"Officers never want to harm an animal. The dog came upon the officers quickly and they felt it was about to bite them. This is a very dog friendly community. Many officers have dogs. We work with dogs. Dogs running loose are a safety risk, for people and for the dogs. This was a very unfortunate situation for everyone involved."
The family believes the officer acted too fast and although an investigation was launched, the biggest worry on their minds is Kita’s six two-week old puppies.
“Now we are going to have to figure out how to keep them alive... without her,” said Pierott. The City of Boise does have a leash ordinance; dog owners are required to keep their dogs on leash, except in specified areas.
Maybe want to stay friends with the cops; not so much friends with the neighbors.
It’s something about the neighbors. I’m surprised that some are not sticking up for them. Said the dog was snarling. I don’t think they like that dog.
Or maybe they just don't want to end up like the dog.
Once again, if the dog was approaching the one officer in a threatening manner, why did the officer that the dog was allegedly approaching/threatening not shoot the dog?
Why would the officer who was threatened, which the dog was allegedly approaching, not be the one to shoot the dog?
Why would the officer who was not threatened shoot the dog?
LOL !! Lets see ya dance on the head of pin some more....
I give this a 9 on the hooking hoot scale...
'Roid rage'll do that.
Me too.
And how exactly was the dog “about to bite” the officers considering the dog was shot *in the back of the head*?
I think it is about time the police have to be ordered to follow the same rules of engagement here in the US that our military have to follow. Leave our dogs alone.
Cops don’t carry mace anymore?
sooo...
owner lets dog out in front of house without a leash in violation of leash laws...
dog not on leash ( in other words out of owners control ) runs after officers in an aggressive manner...
cops shoot dog..
it is cops fault, not the irresponsible owner..
now i get it...
dogs are not the problem here, egotistical self righteous owners are
Some animals are more equal than others.
Thanks for the link.
Defund the police. A free and armed people have little use for them.
The article does not say which officer shot the dog. I’m going by the facts presented in the article. Unless you’re reading a different source in addition to this one, then you’re adding to the known facts by those you’ve found someplace or other.
That’s why you owe me 60,000.
Dogs sense when people have hostile, fearful or unstable energy.. It makes dogs suspicious of them and bark at them.
A dog actually inflicting injury biting is different from a dog that rushes to smell and lick.I’ve been the “victim” of many “licking attacks” and only one bite.The bite was from a dog that no doubt thought it was protecting its home,as I had permission to be there but the dog’s owners ,who were standing right in front of me, didn’t mention there was a dog.The bite was hardly more than a bad pinch,not a vicious attack.I felt bad that the dog(German Shepard) was then abandoned by its owners and killed at the county pound.
As a child I lost a good little dog because she grabbed the leg of a deliveryman who jumped out and immediately rushed towards me and our rural,isolated house after arriving at high speed. He made a great fuss and my parents had the dog killed to satisfy the insurance company.
I despise people like that driver to this day.
It is the attitude to “shoot first,ask questions later” that I got from your original comment that is the mindset that bothers me,regardless of who has that attitude.
One time ,on responding to a “dog running loose” complaint I arrived to find a huge Akita there,but the dog’s manner was so obviously playful and exuberant I felt no fear. Opened my cruiser door and he jumped in and rode quietly until I found out his home and delivered him there.Now many might do the “safe” thing,call animal control and/or shoot the dog. No one can tell me that would have been better. I believe too many people,officers included, are so bound up in “taking charge” and “resolving the situation” they don’t see that remaining calm and not forcing an immediate ending can result in a better outcome for all parties.
And the other thing which has ruined life in the U.S. is the over-abundance of lawyers ready to file suit on behalf of claims that formerly would have been refused,and still ought to be refused and ridiculed.
You’re an idiot...
Take care.
Mr. zin explained all this!
He said the cops separated because this is the tactical way things are done, and the cop that was allegedly threatened decided not to shoot the dog, however the cop that was not threatened shot the dog. But the cop that shot the dog in the back of the head like the article said, did not actually shoot the dog in the back of the head, but actually shot the dog on the rear side of the head...
See, perfectly clear...xzins said so!
The problem is two fold. I agree that in the vast majority of cases dog approaches are sniff and maybe lick. Often recognition is high in a neighborhood because you recognize a local dog, see that it is tagged, and most of the time of a non-aggressive breed exhibiting friendly behavior.
No problem with these at all. But there are some warning signs that should not be ignored. Dog territories are usually limited to 2-3 house lengths away from where they live. If a dog is stalking you (and maybe your dog), starting and stopping instead of coming ahead, greater than that distance, and using cover to close the gap, it is a warning sign.
This is a technique also used by coyotes when they stalk. They are never friendly to people with dogs, because to them, dogs are food. To people alone, it usually means you are in their territory, but they still don’t want to confront you.
Getting any deeper than that, other than if they ignore pepper spray, can get complicated. The ASPCA has quite a laundry list of aggressive dog behaviors.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/aggression-dogs
The bottom line is that a lot of judgment goes into what to do if faced with a dog. I will palm pepper spray soon, but I generally won’t draw down on a dog with a gun unless it is very obvious that it is hostile and about to attack.
Read it again. It doesn't say which officer shot the dog. It doesn't even say that "one felt threatened and that one shot the dog". It says the dog threatened "them" and one of the officers shot the dog.
Which officer was threatened: A or B or Both?
Which officer shot the dog: A or B?
Apparently, even an idiot can get your 60,000 bucks.
dragnet wrote to Mr Zin...(my name by the way, so thank you): You’re an idiot... Take care.
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