Family Outraged After Officer Shoots Their Dog (5 lb Chihuahua)

WCPO ^ | 06/09/2009 | Lynn Giroud

[VeniVidiVici]

If mine got out, and got shot, I wouldn’t blame the cops.

You forgot the tasered part.

[La.daddyrabbit]

You so beat me to it. Must have been the killer puppy of Caerbannog!
It’s a killer!

[Salamander]

This is but one of the reasons I have the back yard where the dogs run -completely- separated from the front yard where people can come in with a 6 foot stockade fence.

The dogs will alert me to anything unusual going on in the front yard.

I can take it from there and they won’t get shot for merely doing what they were born to do.

[you never know...somebody may mistake them for “Pit Ibizans” or “Portuguese Pit Podengos”]

[Hoodlum91]

“The Bullocks told their five-year-old and three-year-old sons that Jack ran away. “

Great. Lie to your kids and give them false hope that the rat will come back.

[Frogtacos]

How much damage could a 5 pound dog do?

I was bitten in the face by a "5lb dog" when I was little. It was my Grammas dog - had never bitten anyone, I was trying to kiss it goodnight. If the dog had been half an inch higher I would probably have lost my left eye. I had to get stitches, and still wear the scars.
Sittin in the ER one day (the Mr was getting treated after a nasty fight with some yellow jackets) I saw a woman with a little boy (5ish) who had his ear mangled by a small dog.
Just because they are small doesn't mean a bite can't be destructive.

[netmilsmom]

Yeah but honestly, unless the cop lost a hand, did it really warrant this?

[sig226]

It doesn’t tell the distance between the gun and the dog.

[Tallguy]

Yes, they were at fault. I have a 10 pound Papillon that I would not leave outside. Bigger dogs, hawks or idiots can hurt them.

Yes. My wife & I have small terriers, too. Not as small as this little guy, but still qualify as a 'short-legged terrier'. They constantly 'test' the fence for weak-spots. Every year I need to check the bottom of the chainlink fence to see where the ground either heaved or subsided. Add chickenwire to cover any new gaps, and so forth.

And with all that you still need to worry about a bigger dog, or a rabid fox getting IN. Owls & hawks are a constant threat.

All that being said, I wonder which is a bigger threat to public safety: a 5-lb. Jack Russell Terrier on the loose, or a police officer discharging his weapon 3 times at a target located on someone's front porch?

[Frogtacos]

Not at all, I was just responding to Red's question on how much damage can a small dog do.
I think anyone that tries to grab a dog they don't know is about a step away from being a moron (unless of course they are trained to do it in a manner that is safe for the person and the dog.)
I'm also on the side of the line that believes ANY dog can and will bite given the right circumstances.

[pepperhead]

I doubt that. I am sure there is lots of other good ones out there. I know a cop that goes to my local dog park. From what I have seen he seems like a great person. I doubt he would ever do something like this to a dog.

[Salamander]

This spring, we had a Golden eagle in the area.

While out with my dogs, I noticed this HUGE bird lazily circling overhead.

Ignoring the 4 big Ibizans running around, the bird focused on the smaller Portuguese Podengo Medio and began that heart-stopping slow-motion downward spiral directly over her.

I screamed like a banshee, ran out waving my arms but the bird kept coming.

I almost gave my little PPM a heart attack because I ran out and snatched her up before the it got to her.

She’s 18” at the shoulder and weighs 30 pounds.
I seriously believe it intended to kill her.

I know the rest of the pack would have jumped on the eagle instantly but that wouldn’t do her much good if she’d already been skewered and gutted.

The neighbors have a tiny Parson’s JRT that they leave out unattended and we warned them about the bird.

After about a week of us all watching this thing circling our neighborhood every day, it apparently gave up and went elsewhere.

[but the stray cats that wandered our area have not been seen since]

[Salamander]

“That officer later explained to the family that he was following procedure.”

They were just following procedure.

Step 1] Attempt to save escaped tiny dog from harm.
Step 2] If Step 1 fails, frag it.
Step 3] Call the proper authorities that you should have called before attempting Step 1.

[paul51]

to protect and serve

[Tallguy]

I know the rest of the pack would have jumped on the eagle instantly but that wouldn’t do her much good if she’d already been skewered and gutted.

If your Ibizans had jumped into the fray, THEY might have inadvertantly killed your little guy too. "Things" happen in a dogpile. I'm sure you know what I mean. Sounds like you were very, very lucky.

[netmilsmom]

Exactly!!!!!

I watched a hawk swoop away with a full grown squirrel, more than once. They have to weigh 5 pounds. Right in my own suburban backyard!

I don’t leave my Pap unattended. Even in the winter, I stand out there with her. We don’t have a fenced in yard so she is on a stringer. I doubt a hawk could pick her up, but in the attempt, she would be mangled. *shudder*

BTW, you have some REALLY cool breeds!

[netmilsmom]

>>I’m also on the side of the line that believes ANY dog can and will bite given the right circumstances. <<

I am in full agreement with you and have been slammed for that opinion here on FR.

[netmilsmom]

>>All that being said, I wonder which is a bigger threat to public safety: a 5-lb. Jack Russell Terrier on the loose, or a police officer discharging his weapon 3 times at a target located on someone’s front porch? <<

The later, of course!

[Filo]

Most of the ones I've met really are just trying to do the right thing.

There was a time when I might have believed that. But how many of those "good cops" who just want to do the "right thing" are coming out against these two imbeciles now?

How many ever come out against their fellow cops who colossally stupid things, like shooting unarmed, non-threatening, restrained civilians in the back?

I’m sorry but silence = complicity.

[pallis]

The quality of policemen is at an all time low. Many of them are little more than thugs with badges, guns and too much power, exactly what is needed for the Naziesque future.

[LuxMaker]

"He was cornered on the porch and scared," said Sharon Bullock. "The officer bent down bare-handed to pick up Jack, and Jack bit him."

Yes, maybe the dog was really hungry and smelled bacon.