But when "Boomer" started barking and running toward a police officer Saturday morning, the officer shot the dog and killed it, Lawrene King told the AJC Sunday night.
The police officer is faced with what looks like an attacking dog.
“He’s a golden retriever," King said. "He barks, but he’s never bitten anyone.”
And the police officer knew this how? Is he supposed to be a dog mind reader? The dog acts as though it is going to attack the officer, but via some unknow telepathic ability the officer is supposed to read the dog's mind and determine that the dog doesn't bite, but only acts like it is going to bite.
All this could have been avoided if the owner had kept their dog under control.
Golden Retrievers weight from 65-75 pounds, about what a Germand Sheppard weighs. They are plenty big enough to do serious damage if they become aggresive. A police officer has no obligation to put themseves at risk (of any kind), because a dog owner can't or won't control their animal.
If a cop doesn't recognize the difference between a golden retriever and German Sheppard, he should be laughed off the police force.
“Your” an idiot.
Try reading the article. They have an Invisible Fence.
I understand your point but I have a question. If you, as a private citizen, are walking down the street minding your own business, and somebody’s dog comes running toward you, what do you do?
What I do is stop and face the dog. If it stops and doesn’t show signs of aggression, I back up a little, and soon go on my way. Shooting it, even if I happened to be armed, does not occur to me as a first response. But then I’m not a cop with control issues.
Yep. Deploying pepper spray works wonders on dogs. Of course, the simpering little wimp would have had to let the dog get within 30' of him for effective stream contact. Might have soiled his lace unmentionables...
I’m with you. I don’t think a cop is required to wait to be bitten before defending himself against an attacking dog any more than he needs to wait to see if the gun is loaded. If your dog attacks (or appears to attack) someone, they can defend themselves. Keep your dog confined.
That being said — the anti-jack-booted-thug and my-puppy-is-my-baby crowd are going to gang-up on this one.
SnakeDoc
When the street flooded, we couldn't cut through his yard to get to the school bus because the chains were just that long and the dogs would get us.
People complained about this all the time but he was a cop. Even the convicted bankrobbers in the neighborhood were afraid of this puke.
Then, one day his 4 year old kid got out of the house and his own dogs killed and ate him.
Well, you almost had a backer for your side of this but...
#1 Boomer was killed about 25 feet from his spot on the front porch, close to her front door, King said. He was not on a leash.
#2 The family had an electric fence, but there was not a sign alerting the officer it was there, Daniel said.
Missing information how far away was the cop. The dog was controlled...by the fence. If the dog charged up to the invisible fence line and stopped, didn’t advance past the fence... and the cop was on the sidewalk shooting in towards the dog...AND HOUSE ...What the heck really happened here. 25 ft. off the front porch isn’t very far in a big yard.
Flip-side as I see it. We always trained out dogs to stay in the backyard.
I do think an unsupervised dog in the front yard can present an unusual hazard. I’ve approached fenced yards where dogs behave aggressively at the fenceline. Walk through the gate and ...their your best buddy. If you didn’t know it...you wouldn’t walk through that gate.
As a person who visits pets in their homes when the owner is not around...animals can and do behave differently than when the owner is there.
The dog *was* under control.
Put on the collar and then step across the “invisible fence”.
You’ll feel *very* “controlled”.
A *lot* of housing developments forbid the use of above ground fences so buried e-fences are quite common.
The ginormous receiver sticking out of the dog’s collar is quite obvious to anyone who’d take half a second to actually *look*.
“The Golden Retriever, with its intelligence and eager to please attitude, is one of the most popular breeds in the United States according to AKC® registration statistics. The working ability that has made the Golden Retriever such a useful hunting companion also make him an ideal guide, assistance and search and rescue dog. The golden-colored coat is the hallmark of this versatile breed, and can range from light to dark gold.”
[...]
“Temperament: Friendly, reliable, and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character.”
http://www.akc.org/breeds/golden_retriever/
- JP
When did Golden Retrievers become a threat to grown men? This is just ridiculous. He's far more likely to get hurt by a drunk woman who is coming toward him swearing, should vulgar drunk women also be shot on sight?
If you aren't willing to accept the slightest risk, don't go into police work.
Exactly!
In my line of work, our company policy is to trust no dogs.
It doesn’t matter if it’s one of those small bug-eyed mexican barking rats, or if it’s a harmless golden retriever. If it shows any aggression we skip that house and go onto the next service for inspection.
it could have also been avoided if the doofus cop had stayed at the donut shop. The dog was contained by the electronic fense
Read the article. The dog was on it's property contained within an electronic fence. It was under control. It's easy enough to see the fence collar on a dog, unless you panic easily. Shooting the dog is a good measure of how fearful this cop is of his surroundings. If this had been a civilian shooter, he would not have statutory and union protection from incompetent action.
So you ARE on the wrong side as I see it.
And since the dog was in his own yard confined by the invisible fence ,the dig WAS under control.
We don't need 100,00 more cops ,we need 50,000 FEWER cowardly bullies with badges.
Have I made myself clear?
A police officer, as opposed to a gutless pig, is not surprised when walking through a strange neighborhood, that dogs bark at him or her.
A police officer doesn't shoot dogs when they're on their own property.
A police officer doesn't need ninja commando gear and 40 reinforcements to arrest somebody.
Police officers deserve community respect and support. Gutless pigs deserve community condemnation and shunning.
Gutless pigs like this one one should be fired and all bennies forfeited. I'm sick of these cowards. They're not police officers by a couple of light years.
Did you read with comprehension or are you just a knee-jerker?
The dog WAS UNDER CONTROL - that's what electric fences are for.
If an officer is going to be issued a gun - he should know which dogs are likely not to be vicious - a Golden is not - and an officer should be able to recognize the rather bulky control collar for what it is.
The dog never left it's yard...
Anyone issued a gun and a badge and turned out to "protect' the public should be made to learn which dogs are apt to be dangerous, and learn to recognize a control collar and if you aren't on the private property and the dog does not LEAVE the private property - you dont' shoot.
If an office is that wimpy - he shouldn't have a gun and a badge.
You, sir or madam, are obviously an idiot. THE DOG WAS IN ITS OWN YARD! The cop had no business being there.
The dog was behind an “invisible fence”.
How more under control can you get, pal?
I see it didn’t take long for a JBT-lover to show up.
The dog was IN IT’s OWN YARD! It was controlled from leaving the premises by an electronic system. It was barking at a stranger and protecting it’s territory (a natural instinct), which is legal and what it was supposed to do. This officer should be in jail and be banned from police work for life. If this had happened on my property he would probably be dead. I agree with the other poster that called you an idiot.