# Service Dog?? Shot by an Officer



## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

This is very hard to watch - warning. I feel there is probably more to the overall story...I do know that from the dashcam perspective it looks like the officer had other options than shooting this poor dog. Instead of getting hung up in the outcry , I was trying to watch the dog's body language , trying to decipher to see if he would have bitten. I think training about dealing with animals should have more of a presence in police training since this happens all the time. If you listen to the officer towrds the end of the recording , his voice is shaky and he sounds frightened of dogs more than anything else. 

I also question the validity of the service dog aspect. The article states the dogs have been call on for wandering around the neighborhood before. Not that it matters , if the cop did not need to shoot the dog , he did not need to shoot the dog. Just a splinter thought on why is a service dog looking like he might bite ...

article :
Police Examine Dog-Handling Tactics in Wake of Filer Shooting (with video)

upsetting video , with dialog with owner at end


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

1st of all, this is horrible ownership. The owner should NEVER allow the dogs outside, unrestrained and unsupervised. No matter what the reaction of the officer, the situation would have never happened if the animals were legally restrained.

The officer was really stressed due to a previous bite. You can hear it in his voice, even minutes later during the interview with the owner. There are many stress cues in his voice and posture. He was wigging out. This is a total lack of responsibility of the officer to assess the situation and react in an appropriate manner. He has a siren, lights, a horn and a public address system which he could have employed from the safety of his vehicle to alert the owners of the situation. If this was a felony arrest situation with the chance of flight of the suspect I would understand, but this is a dog call. Get back in your car and use the tools you have to address the situation in the manner which will post the least amount of threat to everyone involved.

Why put yourself and the dog at risk over a misdemeanor, and in a situation that is not time sensitive?


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

^ you pretty much nailed my opinion of the situation.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Dog should not be allowed to run around like that, owner is irresponsible for sure, but geez couldn't he use pepper spray? Not like he was surprised or startled, he knew they were there. Call dispatch and have the homeowner secure it, didn't seem like a major emergency or anything, why go straight to lethal force?


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

David Winners said:


> 1st of all, this is horrible ownership. The owner should NEVER allow the dogs outside, unrestrained and unsupervised. No matter what the reaction of the officer, the situation would have never happened if the animals were legally restrained.
> 
> The officer was really stressed due to a previous bite. You can hear it in his voice, even minutes later during the interview with the owner. There are many stress cues in his voice and posture. He was wigging out. This is a total lack of responsibility of the officer to assess the situation and react in an appropriate manner. He has a siren, lights, a horn and a public address system which he could have employed from the safety of his vehicle to alert the owners of the situation. If this was a felony arrest situation with the chance of flight of the suspect I would understand, but this is a dog call. Get back in your car and use the tools you have to address the situation in the manner which will post the least amount of threat to everyone involved.
> 
> Why put yourself and the dog at risk over a misdemeanor, and in a situation that is not time sensitive?


 Right on!! :thumbup:


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

As an aside though , what do you think of the dog's language? I think we'll all agree the officer was very wrong to shoot..but what are experienced people's opinions on the whether on not a dog barking and moving like that was ready to bite or not? I think a little more training on dog body language and behavior could go a long way in the police academy , as this is unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence.


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

"my Opinion" The dog had no idea what the officer had in his hand when he got out of his patrol car. By the looks of it, the gun was drawn the whole time as he exited the car. Maybe if the gun was not drawn, the dog might have acted differently. This is another incident that really did not have to happen. If it was a dog complaint, why in the heck would they send someone who is scared to death of dogs?  It could have been handled very differently.


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## Mishka&Milo (Jan 4, 2014)

Oh god. That's terrible. What is humanity coming to?!? Seems to me... If the dog was going to bite, he would have when the man kicked him in the face!!! I agree.... A couple of lessons on dog body language would be a great idea... I mean, I'm sure they come in contact with enough dogs for it to be warranted. And for gods sake... Pepper spray! This just hurts me so much. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I do not think the dog would have bitten, especially if the officer would have lowered his threat level. Put the gun behind you, look away, stop shouting, remove the tension from the situation.

He wasn't even capable of this with the owner.

AC or at least a K9 officer should have handled this.

David Winners


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## lennyb (Jan 1, 2014)

I have the up most respect for police officers but this guys a complete ****! He shot the dog and told the owner the dog tried to bite him? First he tried to kick the dog and when he shot the dog was at least 4 -5 feet from him and he gives the owner attitude. I don't care if he was previously bitten or not it does not justify lethal force. I served for four years in the military and was trained to fully access a situation prior to taking action. Obviously this guy missed that part of his training. He's the type to shoot first and deal with the ramifications of his actions later.. Sorry if I'm ranting but the video pissed me off.


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

I have the utmost respect for our police officers. My father was a cop and my uncle. I share a driveway with my county Sheriff. Love the man to death. But shoot my dog, go ahead. My dog is my family and I will defend it till my dying breath. My child, my wife, my dog, all the same to me. 

I've seen this headline at a few different sources but can't bring myself to watch it.


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## d4lilbitz (Dec 30, 2013)

I agree with everyone's comments above. From how the dog was acting, I don't think it was going to bite. It was scared. To me, both parties are at fault...I blame the whole situation on the ingorance of the owner.

I agree on two things the officer said:

* The dogs shouldn't be running at large.

*While the owner knows hi dog won't bite, a stranger seeing it bark and growl at them doesn't know. 

I feel bad for the dog. In the end, as a result of poor ownership and a trigger happy officer, the dog paid te ulimate price.

Little of topic, but if his dogs were running at large and the owner knew it...why wouldn't he go check them out when they were barking and growling? I have a fenced in yard....when they are out and start to bark, I go check them out to make sure everything is okay...very rarely do they bark unless there is cause to. Just seem so careless to me.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

This took place about 2.5 hours east of me and has been all over the news here. There are a couple of points to make that might help clarify the situation.

There is no animal control there. It is predominately a farming community, and fairly poor. They don't have the resources. The population is less than 3,000. It has been mentioned that he should have called for back-up and just waited for help to arrive. He was on duty with one other officer, who was unavailable. There was no back up available. Although it would be nice to outfit every LE car with a catch pole, there just isn't the money to do it. 

There had been a history of problems with these dogs, running at large and threatening neighbors. It is being reported here that they have confirmed ten separate complaints about these dogs, and the owner had been spoken to previously and nothing changed about the way he kept his dogs.

The cop could have handled it better. No doubt about that. But we should never lose sight of the fact that the owner was well aware of a problem that had been negatively impacting his neighbors for a while and made absolutely no effort to make changes to how he housed the dogs. The responsibility is on him. Not his neighborhood, and not LE. He dropped the ball regarding the containment of his dogs and one of them paid with it's life.

There has been a lot of chatter about this dog being a service animal. Not true. When asked by a reporter what service the dog provided and where could he get another one that could provide that service (because some well meaning souls were offering to purchase him another service dog), he stated that the dog had no particular training and provided no service other than keeping him company when he didn't feel up to being active. This was a case of a pet that had the label "service dog" applied incorrectly.

It is a shame that the dog was killed. But the responsibility for that death is squarely on the shoulders of the owner. If he hadn't allowed his dogs to run loose and bother the neighborhood, over and over and over again, the dog would still be alive. That is on him.
Sheilah


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I watched the whole excruciating video, which was mostly listening to the cop talk to the dog owner. 

The dog's owner was an ignorant fool, who doesn't deserve to own dogs. Dog ownership is a privilege. When people act so irresponsibly with dogs, it reflects and affects all of us. 

He deliberately opened the door and let the dog out to roam about. I am sorry that the dog was the one that had to pay for it. But I have zero sympathy for the owner. It is totally his fault. 

The cop was right when he said, "I don't know your dog. I am not your neighbor who pets it every day. I don't know that your dog will not bite me." 

The cop maybe should have used his dispatcher to call the house and tell them to call the dogs in. The cop maybe should have put pepper spray in his hand rather than his pistol. The cop maybe should have done a lot of things. But, it is up to the dogs' owner to protect his dogs. 

Give this man another dog??? For what??? So he can let it get run over in the road, shot by a hunter or cop, bite the neighbor lady or a kid.

The cop looked scared and aggressive at the same time. So the dog reacted to that and maybe aggressed more because of it, BUT anyone out taking a walk in that neighborhood might be afraid of dogs, might not know how to manage the situation, might cause by their negative feelings the dog to respond more aggressively.

It was the owner's fault. The community is poor. They do not have the money for more training for cops. In our neighborhood which is also poor, if this situation happened, and they suggested training, I would be violently opposed. What I want our cops here to deal with is the serious drug problems and all the crime, violence, and death happening because of the meth labs, crack, hand heroine going on here. If the cops have two nickels to rub together, they need to put it into enforcing the drug-laws. 

Animal complaints are on animal owners. If owners think the cops are going to come and shoot their dogs if they are running around loose, maybe they will keep their **** dogs contained. 

If communities have to spend more money to train cops on how to deal with calls involving dogs, than it will cost ALL dog owners more money. No, it will cost RESPONSIBLE dog owners more money. The dog license fees will go up up up. And the people who do go and buy them will be kicked in the pocket book yet again. Because ignorant fools think they should just open up their dog and let their dog run around. 

Shoot the dog and arrest the yayhoo, make him go to court, and have the judge tell him he can't own another dog for five years, and after passing a written test compiled on all the local dog-related ordinances.


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## Bequavious (Mar 9, 2013)

I didn't hear a gunshot and it looked yellow like a taser. Did the cop just tase the dog? I guess the dog still could have died because that's a lot of voltage, but it's better than shooting the dog with a gun.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

There is a gunshot on the video.

David Winners


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## Bequavious (Mar 9, 2013)

selzer said:


> Animal complaints are on animal owners. If owners think the cops are going to come and shoot their dogs if they are running around loose, maybe they will keep their **** dogs contained.


:thumbup: I was just thinking how horrible it could have been to be a child walking though that neighborhood. Big barking dogs are scary, and _most_ people don't know how to distinguish fearful aggression from a dog that will actually come after you.


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## Bequavious (Mar 9, 2013)

David Winners said:


> There is a gunshot on the video.
> 
> David Winners


Yeah I heard a pop, but I figured a pistol would be louder than that. Looking back the yellow could have been reflection from the headlights though :shrug:


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

sit said:


> This took place about 2.5 hours east of me and has been all over the news here. There are a couple of points to make that might help clarify the situation.
> 
> There is no animal control there. It is predominately a farming community, and fairly poor. They don't have the resources. The population is less than 3,000. It has been mentioned that he should have called for back-up and just waited for help to arrive. He was on duty with one other officer, who was unavailable. There was no back up available. Although it would be nice to outfit every LE car with a catch pole, there just isn't the money to do it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the inside information.

I agree that animal behavior training is not feasible for most departments. 

I agree that the owner is ultimately 100% responsible for the situation.

I have had to shoot dogs in Afghanistan because they were charging my working dog. I have had to shoot dogs in Iraq because I was attacked. I get it. The officer has to protect himself. Where he made the mistake was getting out of the car in the first place. It is his responsibility to make smart decisions in stressful situations. 

What you never do is sacrifice the time it takes to make a good decision due to unnecessary stress. If the dogs charge you, get back in the car, calm down because you are safe, and think before you act. If you are taking fire, you get cover, take a minute, and make a decision. You don't just run head long into danger, unless that is the best decision.

I expect just such problem solving skills from professionals. They owe it to those they protect, serve and defend.

David Winners


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

Since I used to actually live near there, and worked for a dairy owner in that area, it really and truly is a very rural kind of community. Mostly farms with a few acreage, and honestly when I used to drive up and down those roads, you had to be more cautious about loose dogs than anything else. The guy I worked for had two Pyrs who would just hang out in his front property. There were many times I had to be careful when I drove in there at 3 am to avoid hitting one of them if they were out. 

And I get that it doesn't make it right that they were loose, but it is a common practice with dogs in that area. Any actual neighborhoods were very rare that I had seen. Mostly just in the area around the main street through the town.

Sadly officers in this state as a whole don't seem to have as much information as they should have. We have had many dogs getting shot in the last few years by officers, and many of them were claimed not to have been actually going for the officer. We even had a man who was out with his two dogs shoot someone's GSD that was out in its driveway, claiming it had been charging at them. Met that GSD and she was truly one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. A friend's roommate's husky was shot a few week's ago too because it was loose near where a man had his chickens in the front yard. 

So this state is kind of... >>; Yeah. I feel for the dog the most, but I feel more for the officer than the owner. He's the one who is getting the most flack for things. It is true he should have used better judgment, but it is always easier to say what someone should do rather than know what they were thinking in that moment or what other things they potentially had to deal with. I dunno. These are always just sad situations and no one ever seems to come out on top.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Bequavious said:


> Yeah I heard a pop, but I figured a pistol would be louder than that. Looking back the yellow could have been reflection from the headlights though :shrug:


After Sandy Hook , we actually did training for people who worked in the school as they were unfamiliar to what gun fire really sounds like. It is not uncommon for people to look around and not react at first because they are not sure what they are hearing. Outdoors it is more of a "crack" . Indoors it is more of a "boom" though it sounds nothing like gun fire depicted on TV and in Hollywood.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

We can all sit here with the luxury of rewind and pause and slow motion video playback to decipher every little thing in the video. I watched it ONCE, because that's what the officer saw. Once, in real time. The dog charged numerous times, the dog issued warning snaps, the dog growled, was low to the ground, hackles raised. 2 of them, darting in and out. Would they of bitten? Who really knows. I would of been concerned about that dog biting me in that situation. That's what I got out of the ONE time I saw the video, and I feel very comfortable in reading dog body language. I work with dogs for a living and I train with dogs for a hobby. My life revolves around training dogs and not getting bit when I shove things like thermometers up their butt. I'm sure I could go back and rewatch and decipher the video much differently.

Yes, the officer could of stayed in the car and called animal control. But we don't know the full story, what if animal control was not available?

Let's look at it another way - these dogs are running all over the neighborhood. Charging at least one known person in a very aggressive manner. What if, while the officer is sitting in the car waiting for animal control, the next door neighbor's kid comes running out to play in the rain and the dog charges him and actually bites? Even kills? What if the dog charges and the kid runs away, runs into the street, and gets hit by a car?? Then it would be the officers fault for sitting in his car too scared to come out!

Shoulda Coulda Woulda. He shot a dog that charges aggressively at him numerous times. And he only "kicked" the dog (I saw no contact actually made) after the dog charged him numerous times, to get the dog away from him.

The owner was an idiot, and the blame is his alone. Even while the officer is lecturing him that he shot his dog and his dogs can't be roaming, his OTHER dog is running around the yard?!?

The officer was sorry he shot the dog. You could tell. I don't blame him. Maybe he could of handled it differently, but I don't think he necessarily handled it "wrong" given the situation. You can't just leave potentially aggressive animals running around in public.

Yes, he's scared of dogs. Because he's been bit. That's a common and just fear. Yes he was amped up. I would be too after TWO dogs aggressively charge me repeatedly in the street. He spoke harsh. He calmed down when the owner went to get his license, you could tell he was trying to calm down and be professional. I would probably lose my **** too if I had to shoot your dog because you're an idiot and it "attacked" me.


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## sechattin (Nov 13, 2013)

Same here, I think the blame falls almost entirely on the owner. There may have been a couple things the officer could have done differently, but in that situation with a previous experience being severely injured by an aggressive dog, I can understand why he would be more apt to shoot than normal. Besides, the entire situation could have been avoided if the owner just properly contained his dogs, or at least came to check when he heard them barking. I check my dogs at the slightest bark just to make sure everything is fine. Prolonged, excited barking like that? I'd be out of my house in an instant, seeing what was going on. I do wish officers had more training in the basics of animal behavior because I don't think the dog would have actually bitten, it looked more scared and stressed, but the safety of dogs has to fall on the owner first.


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## e.rigby (May 28, 2011)

Did anyone else pick up on the fact that this guy's dog was shot and NEVER ONCE did he plead with the officer to take the injured dog to the vet. If the dog was killed, he's surely not showing any distress... 

Then again, what more could you expect from someone who just lets their dogs run rampant around the neighborhood... :/


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Anubis_Star said:


> Yes, the officer could of stayed in the car and called animal control. But we don't know the full story, what if animal control was not available?


This is a poor, rural area. There is no animal control. The police department answers animal related calls.

As a follow up to the whole story, a police department a couple of hours away was tasked with investigating the incident and the officer involved was "cleared".
Nampa police clear Filer officer in controversial dog shooting | Nampa, Caldwell | Idahostatesman.com
Sheilah


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