Free Republic

A San Mateo family expressed outrage Tuesday that police shot and killed their two dogs after they escaped and started barking at children in a park. Police countered that the animals were vicious and one of them hadn't even been slowed after being jolted with a Taser stun gun. Carla Torres, 38, said her two boxers, a female named Bella and a male named Jordan, may have been loose and loud at Laurie Meadows Park on Monday, but that there was no reason for officers to shoot them. "I wish the police would have waited for animal control," Torres said....

Providence, RI - Rhode Island State Police say that the shooting death of a woman's Pit bull, "Champ" was an "unfortunate accident". Accident or not, a beloved family companion is dead. The tragedy happened on Wednesday morning when a fugitive task force was stationed outside of a home in Providence. Though the task force was waiting for a fugitive to emerge, they were instead greeted by two dogs who had been let out for a potty break. Moments after the dogs were let outside, shots were fired. The officer who fired the three shots told the dog's owner that the...

FREEMANSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities say a police officer slain while responding to a domestic disturbance in a small eastern Pennsylvania borough had pointed a stun gun at two dogs before being shot. The Morning Call of Allentown reports Freemansburg police Officer Robert Lasso had pointed at the attacking dogs when the homeowner pulled out a shotgun and fired the fatal blast Thursday evening.

-snip- But Samuelson's neighbor, Fernando Perez, said he told the cops several times that Ozzy was roaming in the back. When the security alarm system at the home went off, Samuelson called Perez to check it out while she made the 20-minute drive to her house, he said. Perez said he knew not to go into the backyard because of the dog and when officers arrived, he warned them. "'Be careful. It’s a big dog,' I told them. They told me to go back to my house," said Perez, who repeated the warning several more times. "Before I get to my driveway, I...

Wearing a plastic protector around his face, 'Blue,' a three year male pit bull, has been shot and wounded in the shoulder and hip. "This is wrong. This is animal cruelty, this is excessive", says his owner Tiffany Reynolds. Reynolds, and her angry and concerned neighbors, say the gunfire came from an MPD officer's service weapon. "It was like pop pop pop pop," recalls neighbor Sheila Love. "We heard five shots," says Kathy Washington, who also lives nearby. "We actually jumped up and ran in the house, because in the beginning we didn't know what was going on," she adds....

A federal jury says Chicago law enforcement must pay $330,000 to a family after officers shot their dog during a home raid that turned up no illegal activity. Thomas Russell, then 18, opened the door to his home in February 2009 to find police officers with their guns drawn. He asked if he could lock up his 9-year-old black labrador, named Lady, before letting the officers inside. The Chicago Tribune describes what happened next: Police refused the request and came into the house, the lawsuit said. When Lady came loping around the corner with her tail wagging, Officer Richard Antonsen...

Every new pet dog will be microchipped under sweeping Government regulations to combat dangerous animals. Each puppy born and dog sold will have an electronic chip implanted under the skin. Details will then be placed on a national database accessible by police and the RSPCA. A confidential Whitehall document obtained by The Mail on Sunday says: ‘The compulsory microchipping of dogs on change of ownership would affect anyone breeding dogs for sale or gifting to another person or persons. This would apply to anyone breeding dogs, whether they are a breeder or a private person whose bitch has a litter,...

A sheriff's deputy shot a bull terrier puppy to death when the dog rushed out of a front door and barked during a probation search on Thursday in Boulder Creek, authorities said. About 11:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Anchor Court, two deputies knocked on the door of 48-year-old Lonni Locatelli, who was on probation for a meth-related conviction, said Sgt. Dan Campos. Loud knocking alerted Locatelli's two dogs, a 12-pound, 5-month-old female bull terrier named Sheeba and a 2-year-old pit bull mix, Locatelli said. The dogs barked. Locatelli was in the shower, and he heard the knocking and...

BOLLINGER COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - A Bollinger County deputy resigned after an incident at a domestic violence call goes awry. Sheriff Leo McElrath says Deputy Kelly Barks arrested the man at the scene, and then got his permission to search the residence. When Barks went inside, she saw the man's three dogs growling at her. She thought one of them bit her, shot him, and went outside. After realizing she was fine, she went back into the residence where McElrath says the dog was still acting aggressive, so she shot him again. But the aggressive dog, probably isn't what you...

MONROE, N.C.--Concern in Monroe after an officer shot and killed a dog in front of high school students. One of those kids emailed us saying the officer acted inappropriately. Police say a German Shepherd was chasing a student at Central Academy of Technology and Arts. Investigators say the dog was acting aggressive and charged when the officer approached so she shot the animal.

Yesterday, we told you about an officer-involved shooting in Phoenix. Details were limited, so we said to check back later. We got the details and they're pretty nuts. According to court documents obtained by New Times, Phoenix Police Officer Richard Chrisman has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after fatally shooting 29-year-old Daniel Rodriquez. Rodriquez's mother called police about noon yesterday to report that she and her son had gotten into an argument and that Rodriquez was breaking things in her trailer home near Baseline Road and Central Avenue. Officer Chrisman and another officer found Rodriquez's mother...

Confronted by the family pet, police often shoot first and ask questions later, reports Radley Balko. Among hundreds of recent victims: Labradors, Wheaten terriers, and a five-pound Chihuahua. Beginning next year, police departments in Maryland will be required to report to the governor's office every time they kill a dog during a drug raid. That requirement is part of a new law pushed by Cheye Calvo, the mayor of the small town of Berwyn Heights. Calvo proposed the legislation because police officers conducted a particularly violent raid last summer on his home in Prince George's County after intercepting a package...

UNIONTOWN, Pa. -- A woman in Fayette County said police used her dog for target practice when she called them for help. Elizabeth D'Auria said she and her sister found their two-year-old pit bull dead after calling 911 for help. snip "They shot him six times with a pistol and once with a shotgun. They took the dog and we asked them if we could have him back to bury him and they won't give him back to us," said D'Aurio.

EUGENE, Ore. -- To his owner, 7-year-old Bull Terrier "Spanky" was a calm and loving companion. "I had this dog for seven years since he was a puppy and I never seen him aggressive toward any human being," said Spanky's owner, Christopher Robinson. Robinson said Spanky was gentle and never snappy, but the dog Robinson describes is a far cry from the dog a Eugene Police Department detective encountered on Tuesday. According to neighbors and Robinson, the detective stopped by Robinson's home to talk to him about an unrelated case involving one of his neighbors. Robinson said he wasn't home...

SAN CARLOS PARK, Fla. - A Lee County deputy goes in a woman's yard, and ends up facing off with a family pet. He shot the dog twice, and now the owner is furious, demanding answers, saying her dog did nothing wrong. Christine Bonelli was inside her San Carlos Park home Thursday afternoon when she heard two shots. "First I thought it was fireworks and said no, that's gunshots I think," Bonelli said. She stepped outside to find two deputies and her Foxhound Mix "Harley" with gunshot wounds. "Blood was coming out of his shoulder and on his leg, coming...

SEATTLE -- A Seattle police officer shot a dog in West Seattle on Wednesday while dealing with a domestic incident, Seattle police said. Police arrived at a home in the 3400 block of 44th Avenue Southwest at about 1:20 p.m. where someone had reported a woman screaming, police said. Two dogs rushed through an open front door at an officer when he arrived, police said. The officer opened fire, killed one dog and wounded the other, police said. A woman at the home is in custody for unknown reasons and police are questioning a man in his 70s, police said....

DES MOINES, WA -- In November police officers tased, then shot and killed a 120-pound Newfoundland named Rosie. The shooting sparked both a community vigil for the dog and an independent review of the officers' actions. Although initiall reports were that the dog was acting aggressively when she escaped from her fenced yard and was spotted roaming neighborhood streets, video taken from the patrol car dash-cams may cast the shooting in a different light. Warning: Videos contain graphic sounds and language. The videos, released by Des Moines Police show the dog being tazed by an officer, then running away. In...

Fulton County Marshal Antonio Johnson said Thursday the deputy who shot and killed a couple's lab mix while trying to serve a lawsuit is "very remorseful" about the "very unfortunate situation," but felt he was defending himself."From talking to him, he didn't have any other choice because the dog was charging at him," Johnson told the AJC. "The dog was unattended, unleashed, in an open gravel field." Johnson said he was still going over the report and would not identify the deputy until later Thursday. He said the incident is under investigation and the owners are free to file a...

As family shrieks, police kill dog Wednesday, January 8, 2003 Posted: 10:26 PM EST (0326 GMT) COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Police video released Wednesday showed a North Carolina family kneeling and handcuffed, who shrieked as officers killed their dog -- which appeared to be playfully wagging its tail -- with a shotgun during a traffic stop. The Smoak family was pulled over the evening of January 1 on Interstate 40 in eastern Tennessee by officers who mistakenly suspected them of a carjacking. An investigation showed James Smoak had simply left his wallet on the roof of his car at a...

LA MARQUE, Texas -- A police officer shot a woman and the dog she was playing with when the officer thought the dog was attacking the woman, witnesses told KPRC Local 2. Witnesses said a La Marque police officer was driving along 5th Avenue near Walnut Street at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, after she helped a person around the corner. The officer heard people playing and screaming, witnesses said. A 23-year-old woman and her friend were playing with a pit bull named Sugar. Witnesses said the officer got out of the car and fired several shots toward the dog. "The...