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.

[utherdoul]

I like Pits personally but any moron who brings an intact male pitbull to a dog park shouldn’t have a dog and is too stupid to be intact himself.

[basil]

I just returned from our doggy park with my dog when I read this. Of course the big mistake was the cop not unleashing his dog--but regardless, for anyone to shoot off a firearm in an inclosed area with children, adults, and dogs running and standing around should be banned from ever touching another firearm as long as he lives.

I shudder to think what my reaction would have been, as I am always armed in the park................

[Kirkwood]

I agree. Dog shooting is reaching epidemic proportions. Citizens need to get police forces back under control for this and several other reasons.

[Eaker]

Many breeds of intact male dogs can be a problem not just pits.

This story is further proof.

[e_castillo]

Justified?

No.

[JSteff]

We had a dog park once. That is until a lawyer moved into the new houses about 200 yrds away.

He is afraid of dogs (admittedly) so did not think the neighborhoods that surround the FENCED in (12ft high) should have the dangerous park so close to houses. "They are a menace to those who do not like dogs." (Or are afraid).
The dog park is on land that used to contain a radar tower and the edges of that area heavily treed and except for two or three walk ways there is NO access to the FENCED in dog park area. It is so heavily overgrown that it prevented most noise of the dog park from being heard in the houses in the surrounding neighborhoods.
The lawyer sued the township and threatened continued legal action until the dog park was closed. So all the folks in the approximately 250 houses that surrounded the dog park area have no more dog park.
The silly part is since he is a lawyer and will not walk in the "woods" he never sees the radar tower field where every one still walks the dogs. Just now they can not let them mingle as easily. What a jerk weed.

[Deaf Smith]

I saw the solution, but it is way after the fact.

ALL of the dog owners should have been notified to walk their pets every day to that guy's house to poop & pee on his lawn.

[Marty62]

I’m sorry for your loss. It is hard to lose a loyal friend.

My thought on thiss “officer” is that he is a little quick to resolve a situation with his gun.

If a shepard wants to fight, they will,maybe he just found another dog his own size to play “rough” with. I would force this cop(?) to watch all of the Dog Whisperer episodes on Dog Park Etiquite.

[bobby.223]

your last sentence says it all BB. let this JBT explain his fired round striking and killing a child in that park if it happened to go that way. this little dick JBT shouldn’t be let out of his house with anything sharper than a beach ball from here on out.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Exactly so.

Civilized behavior will be reciprocated, barbarism will be repaid in kind.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I’m sorry about your dog. Another wonderful example of the men in blue (when they aren’t doing 80 on I-270 or using their flashing lights to go through stoplights).

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[old curmudgeon]

I am amazed at how many “cop shoots dog” stories we see.

I am also amazed that no dog person has hit on the solution.

Most of us who work with hunting dogs or working dogs around the farm know that a dog can not stand electric shock.

Persons who use the invisible fencing know this as well.

OK, all the cop has to do is use his taser. No dog is going to be a threat once that juice hits him.

Shooting a pet is inexcusable when there are other means available.

[Ezekiel]

the officer and his wife arrived with a German Shepherd, who was kept on a leash.

Hmmm, strange for a dog park/run but not so strange if Mr. Officer kept his precious pooch on the leash because his German Shepherd behaves like a... German Shepherd (i.e. inclined to aggressively go after other dogs).

[the OlLine Rebel]

How many posts do I have to see like this?

And frankly, I fail to see what’s so terrible about having the lead on.

You are assuming alot of things. Never mind the “vicious German Shepherd”, but apparently unaware of how spitz-type dogs can be (hyper, and prone to pinning people - I’ve been through that myself), and ignoring the apparent fact that the Siberian “aggressively” (likely meaning simply “assertively” and overzealously) went after a leaded dog, however friendly. Hyper can be very difficult to manage.

Generally, however, the cop apparently overreacted in killing this dog. There may have been no aggression at all in their play - just an aggressive cop.

But I can’t let these comments stand in and of themselves.

[LadyBuck]

I have 3 shepherds I trained myself (in fact, we train daily as high-drive dogs need the work)

That said, any kind of dog can be aggressive or a biter.

I refuse to label any breed with a broad brush - it’s been my experience that a problem dog usually has a problem owner.

[Tunehead54]

Where was this?

[ladybugs357]

Since they found no evidence of criminal activity, is this Federal Agent going to be going back to that park? Should everyone fear for their lives when entering this park?

Picture this...Everyone in the park has a gun...everyone in the park is allowed to shoot if they feel another dog is out of control or playing too aggressively...every man, woman, child, dog, bird, etc. would probably be dead.

Isn’t that why we have laws? And they can’t find any evidence of criminal activity? I believe we deserve a public announcement about how they came to that conclusion.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Hey, I’m biased - I love GS.

However, I do see problems in the breed generally - but I just tire of the labels on a dog that is likely the most popular breed in the world and has been probably for some 50 years. They are numerous, so it isn’t shocking that a some would be poor characters, anyway.

But, that wasn’t even the point of this story. There was no indication (so far) of real “wrong-doing” by any dog. Why people had to launch into “bad GS” when they weren’t even talking about a dog FIGHT, I don’t know. The focus here should be the GS handler, not the dogs.

[LadyBuck]

>>The focus here should be the GS handler, not the dogs<<

ITA

-if you have to keep your dog leashed in an off-leash dog park, perhaps your dog isn’t socialized enough (handler’s fault).

-Not being able to recognize big dog play from aggression (handler’s fault)

-Using a gun to separate the dogs because you can’t tell the difference - or get your own dog under control, even while leashed (handler’s fault)

This cop has some explaining to do (and should probably not own a GSD, or any other dog in the future)

[Abby4116]

There is an update to this story. There will be a full investigation into this matter, according to WBAL.