You are missing the point, IMO.
The cop went to the wrong address, he was given the correct address. That mistake was his.
A homeowner could have easily taken him for a criminal intruder and shot him, or he could have shot the homeowner who was legitimately protecting his family.
Yes, it was accidental, but the cop was technically trespassing on a private citizen's property. He had no legal reason for being there. Carelessness or incompetence is no excuse or justification.
The cop could have been killed, the homeowner could have been killed. The *innocent* dog was killed. Am I holding the cop to a very high standard? Yes, because it is absolutely necessary to do so when he has the power and authority to take lives.
Your point seems to be that the officer was in the ‘wrong’.
Of course.
This incident should not have happened... but it did.
Once it did, the officer had to shoot the dog in self defense. I find this much different than the cases where the cops shoot the dog out of spite, or before they break in.
He had no other choice. Now he has to (or should have to) deal with the consequences of his mistake.
That is an assumption and not a fact.
For all you know, the dispatcher could have gotten it wrong, or it was garbled during radio transmission. I was recently listening to the Baltimore police scanner, and I'm surprised that this doesn't happen more often. Over and over I heard requests to 'repeat information'. Even if you are correct, there is no evidence in the article stating that. The police chief says they went to the wrong address. He doesn't state how that happened.