Posted on 01/26/2012 6:30:56 PM PST by chrisinoc
GERMAN SHEPHERD PING LIST
This is a low-volume list so dont worry!
(Please Freep-mail me if youd like to be on or off the list.)
I’m with the German Shepherd writer on this - why was the dog “left behind” outside? (Although, apparently that meant “going in the house”, whereas I think of “leave the scene” to be “get out of this neighborhood”.)
OTOH, I don’t quite get why some cops are so shocked that a dog would bark and growl at him being on her property. Shouldn’t there be some mitigation tried? Note: this is apparently NOT a deadly serious crime scene/chase, so I see no hurry implied by just shooting the dog. But then, why wasn’t the man a witness to be questioned (OK, maybe they did, but it was left out) instead of booted out of there?
“why was the dog left behind outside?”
Presumably because the dog was in its own yard and the owner had no inkling that an officer would be “threatened” by his dog. Likely he assumed that the officer would do his job and be on his way, and nothing worse would happen.
“The owner likely had no idea that any cop would (claim to) be terrified of a gentle house pet.
“It is the cops responsibility to resign from the force since he clearly lacks the mental capacity to act as a peace officer, not the owners responsibility to guess all scenarios that are (to his mind) preposterous.”
This is a very poor reaction.
Never mind few ever assume a German Shepherd is a “gentle” house pet. (1 of the reasons I love them; their mere presence scares people and keeps them out of your business.)
You are responsible for your dog. If s/he bites someone, it’s on you. Would you honestly say the man didn’t need to take the dog in (i.e., control her) if a postman walked up, a UPS man, a neighbor? If she should do anything negative, even on your property, even if it’s logical for a dog, you’re in big danger of a nice lawsuit. Why wouldn’t that apply to cops also? The only difference is you know the cop has a gun. But that is no excuse.
This dog was on its own property. So long as it did not wander off the property, it was secured.
I have known several German shepherds; while they can be very protective, all of them which I have known were friendly, sociable and gentle animals (with decent, law-abiding citizens).
I would have had no problem with holding the man responsible if his dog had bitten the officer. However, that isn’t the case here.
We don’t have a problem with an unrestrained dog, here.
We have a problem with an unrestrained cop.
I know German Shepherds pretty well. I happen to love them - that’s why I run the ping list. Reality: people are scared of GS, and there is a reason for that, even if it’s just because they’re in MIL/police duty all the time. Even if the dog is a dope (like mine), a scared person can trigger protective instincts, just because (”ah, you must be guilty then”).
The dog didn’t bite the officer YET - but may have. He was (theoretically) protecting himself. Again, only difference is a gun. If your neighbor had a gun while he was walking up to pay you a social visit, and was charged by this dog repeatedly, he may’ve shot him, too, before an actual bite. What then?
Point is, a dog may bite someone. I already stated it DOESN’T MATTER if it’s his/your property - you are going to get slapped with a lawsuit. It may fall through as not your fault, but it will be there, period, with all the inconveniences and nuisance.
Likewise, loose on open property is not “secure”. There needs to be a fence, etc. Apparently there wasn’t.
Bottom line: always makes sense to truly control your dog and bring her with you.
We don’t know that the dog charged anyone. That’s the officer’s side of the story, and the officer’s side of the story includes statements that the dog’s owner insists he never made.
One of the sides is lying about the circumstances. The question is, do we assume that the officer who shot the dog is being truthful about the circumstances, or do we assume that the law-abiding owner is being truthful about the circumstances?
Your magnificent dog has nothing to fear.
A cop would never be able to get off a shot.... he’d be too busy screaming “mommy, mommy”, while running 100 mph in the opposite direction. ;>)
People need not fear my German Shepherd dog, it is me that could send them to hell.
My “attack geese” can not be bribed nor negotiated with, it is they that will put fear in the heart of any man. LOL
As an aside, today would be a bad day to screw around with my boy. He had surgery yesterday and his isn’t one bit happy about it.
“it is me that could send them to hell.”
Yup.
Them’s the bettin’ odds here, too because frankly, I’d rather risk my self than my dog.
;]
I had 3 attack geese.
Bob T Gander [T for Tiberius] was the honking, pinching, flopping scourge of all who dared walk these grounds.
He even beat up on my goats.
What a foul fowl he was.
[Gert was a sweetheart and Lucy was a slattern who tricked Lucy into sitting on *all* the eggs]
I miss those crazy birds.
I wish you guys were neighbors.... it would be fun.
Badge or no badge, woe be the person who shoots my GDS.
this is getting out of hand, once is an accident, twice is coincidence, every time is BULLSH!T!!!
What's next, cops shoot your kids because they acted threatening?
I expect people not to be idiots. I expect that people know that cops protect themselves and shoot innocent people and dogs first and ask questions or think later. I expect that people are responsible enough to know gun laws of places they visit.
In some places, you shoot a dog like that you’ll get shot yerself. Badge or no badge. Just sayin...
I wouldn’t consider ignorance of the recent phenomenon of cops shooting dogs worthy of labeling someone “idiot”.
The man was on his own property. The dog was on its own property. The man has probably thought of police officers as peace officers his whole life (and until they started calling themselves law enforcement officers, they were and acted like peace officers) and did not think he had anything to worry about.
Most of these “oop shoots dog” stories only become known at the local level. Most people are not Freepers and are not as well informed. Some compassion for decent, law-abiding folks who are victims of bad cops is warranted, I think.
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