the cop was following procedures. the procedures are WRONG.
i was attacked by a rottweiler a couple of years ago. the dog got loose from it’s little old lady owner who was walking it, came running at me full speed while barking loudly and aggressively. my first instinct was to run for cover, but there was none nearby. so i held my ground, stared at the dog as he approached, pointed my finger, and yelled “NO” in the tone of a dog owner disciplining a dog. this confused him enough to come to a stop a few feet away from me and glare/growl at me. after what felt like 30 seconds, that little old lady came and collected her dog. it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience for me, but i wasn’t bitten and the dog didn’t die.
i suspect none of these cops ever even try such tactics. they have guns so they immediately go for the gun to shoot the dog in all circumstances. that’s wrong. very very wrong.
the police procedures being followed have to be changed and those responsible for writing them need to be fired.
I agrre that the dog should not have been shot, however these dog owners are the sort giving the rest of us a bad name.
“my first instinct was to run for cover,”
As a Dog Person, I can tell you definitively that running from a dog is the best way to encourage an attack. Dogs are prey animals and if you run they think you are prey. Don’t ever run from them. Fall down and ball up, cover your face with your arms for protection, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER run from a dog.
Amen!!
There are also ways to physically stop a charging dog besides shooting it.
That cop was already scared walking into the situation.