Posted on 07/06/2013 12:00:25 AM PDT by Arthurio
By Esther Robards-Forbes
American-Statesman Staff
A dog was shot and severely injured by a Leander police officer Monday night after the officer attempted to serve a warrant at the wrong address, according to the dog’s owners and a statement from the Leander Police Department.
The dog, a German shepherd named Vinny that works as a therapy dog, was shot in the neck and is recovering at the home of his owners in Liberty Hill.
Renata and James Simmons, the dog’s owners, are baffled and distraught by the actions of the officer. According to the statement from LPD, Warrant Officer Woodson Blase arrived at the Simmons’ home on FM 3405 to serve a warrant, knocked on the door and was walking around the back of the house when two German shepherds ran toward him.
The officer feared for his safety and fired three shots, the statement said.
James Simmons said he didn’t know the officer was there until he heard the gunshots. When he approached the officer in the front yard, Simmons said, the officer told him he was there to serve a warrant. Simmons had never heard of the person named in the warrant and has lived at that home for nine years. When he asked the officer what address he was looking for, Blase did not answer, Simmons said.
Vinny was hit once in the neck and was rushed to an emergency veterinarian. The dog is expected to live, but may not walk normally again, James Simmons said.
The incident is under administrative review, according to the statement from LPD.
Same here. I have 5 dogs who are like my kids to me.
Someday one of us is going to be asked to be on a jury...
I’d send pictures of my dog to that police officer almost every day so he could see what he’d done. Of course he might be callous enough to not care.
What a sweetie!
“Here we go again.”
Not really. This is a story from 3 weeks ago.
Yes, in this picture he just turned 6 months. His birthday is July 15, he will be 1 year. He is just an awesome animal, loyal, fearless and smart as a whip! Everyone should know the joy of owning this breed.
Bumper sticker:
‘The More I Get To Know Some People, The More I Love My Dog’
Haha! You got that right!
Yes he is, thank you!
Sad ping.
To practice for people.
You can see it in his eyes.
Everyone should know the joy of owning this breed.
I do. She's gone but will never be forgotten.
You’ve got yourself a real jewel there!
Amen!
I can believe it.
My daughter and her husband have a Black Lab. My grandson is 3 and he and the dog are best buddies. That dog loves him and is very protective. I have a picture of Brady putting snow on his head and he’s just laying there enjoying it.
Imagine for a moment that two hundred years ago someone went to the home of nearly any random farmer by mistake and shot his dogs... what do you think would happen to the officer? What do you think would have happened to the farmer as a result?
Answering these two questions demonstrate how far we’ve fallen...
Someone knows the real reason these cop are so trigger happy regarding dogs. The truth needs to be known.
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