“What needs to happen here is the cop needs to be sued civily and criminally, ...”
The problem with that is dogs are simply treated as property in civil and criminal matters with little or no regard to the emotional attachment. The value of the dog will probably be set in the hundreds of dollars and shooting it will probably be a misdemeanor destruction of property charge.
I am a dog owner and lover. Next to my family, my dog is most precious! There are no words I might use here, that would adequately express my love and devotion to my dog. So I don't know how to otherwise approach the vile acts of miscreant members of law enforcement when the cavalierly kill someones beloved pet who means them no harm. just because they've been “trained” that killing them is somehow a “lawful act.” To that end, the public needs to demand that law enforcement be respectful of these animal's lives and only be allowed the use of deadly force when they are actually threatened with bodily harm, just like they have to do with human beings. I can tell you this, I have actually had a substantive conversation with police officers in my community about my expectations with respect to the lives of our pets. I have actuallly raised directly the issue and have received assurances from the men who patrol our community that they do indeed respect our animals. Thankfully, there has been none of the kind of wanton disregard for animal life that occurred in this article in our community. I guess we are lucky where I live that our LEO's are cut above the norm.
The best bet would be to sue the officer under a Federal Civil Rights Claim for deprivation of property under color of law. That might allow punitives regardless of the "value" of the dog.