# 21-yo GSD mix mistaken for coyote. Run over 2x by Canada Police, then shot to death.



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

*21-yo GSD mix mistaken for coyote. Run over 3x by Canada Police, then shot to death.*










All sorts of mistakes made here, by the dog's owner, the neighborhood for not realizing the dog was a member of their community, and the police for such drastic measures taken even if it was a coyote. I understand both sides, but man is this a tragedy and hopefully a lesson learned for all involved. I read about this in the news yesterday but didn't have time to post it. I just did a quick search to see if anyone beat me to it, but I didn't find that this has already been posted. 


OPP confirms it was dog, not coyote that officer ran over and shot | CTV News




> Police officers looking for a coyote in Collingwood, Ont., instead killed a resident's 21-year-old dog, running over the animal twice before shooting it.
> 
> The incident was caught on video Monday night.
> 
> ...


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

This was the original article I read:

Collingwood police confirm it was dog, not coyote run over by OPP cruiser three times



> Karen Sutherland knew the day was coming when she would have to say goodbye to her 21-year-old dog Merrick.
> 
> She could never have imagined, however, the dog’s life would end after being intentionally hit three times by a police cruiser then shot and killed by a cop.
> 
> ...


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

So very, very sad...


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

God that is so sad. My Charlie lookws like a coyote and actually yesterday our neighbor who has seen her multiple times thought she was a coyote when she got out the gate while I was trying to help Lucky get out for his stroll. That is scary .I dont try to hit any animal w/ my vehicle. That is cruelty.I live in a farming communbity and I know that where I live it will be shoot first and there is no need to ask questions but hitting it w/ a cruiser.thats wrong. Im very much a supporter of LEO's but that needs investigated and not in house.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I don't care if the animal was actually a coyote, why on earth did they run it over TWICE?! 

That disgusts me! NO animal should ever be purposely ran over!!! 

How absolutely disturbing and uncalled for! This is totally animal cruelty and I hope they get in trouble for it!


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

LaRen616 said:


> I don't care if the animal was actually a coyote, why on earth did they run it over TWICE?!
> 
> That disgusts me! NO animal should ever be purposely ran over!!!
> 
> How absolutely disturbing and uncalled for! This is totally animal cruelty and I hope they get in trouble for it!


^^^ Agreed. There is something VERY wrong with anyone who thinks it's acceptable to RUN DOWN an animal, especially one that isn't even trying to harm them in any way.

Even if they thought lethal force was necessary (which it wasn't), how can you justify that?? Oh, wait, you can't.

What they did was absolutely vile. They don't deserve to have a badge.


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

This is just making me sick......sick..... **** OPP


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I read this today while at work and was absolutely horrified.

Coyotes are rampant in all area's. Heck my dog caught one while on leash.

It is illegal to remove a wild animal from it's stomping grounds. Even if it is a residential neighbourhood. Catch assess and release back to area found.

I believe it was reported as rabid so that may have been justification.

Leaving a blind deaf dog alone in yard when coyotes are everywhere. Idjits.

I'm not sure who I am most mad at


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

That's so messed up, poor dog. On another note, can't believe the cops would even bother responding to a "coyote" in the neighborhood. Around here they'd probably just tell you to bring your cat in if you own one.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

How gruesome, I wish I hadn't clicked on this. 

I was about to rip the owner a new one, but she took care of the dog for 18 years -- that's more than I ever have. The fence blew down? I suppose shtuff happens. 

If a coyote was acting that way, I can understand why the officer did not want to get out of the vehicle, because a coyote acting that tame, would probably be rabid. And yet, how horrible all around.


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## MythicMut (May 22, 2015)

This is tragic, absolutely horrible. I feel so bad for this woman and her poor dog. We have coyotes around here and the police (or other individuals for that matter) don't go around running over them. If they are spooked from work going on in the arboretum they tend to run down the streets in the daytime and hang out in a backyard for a while. We leave them alone until they leave. One single coyote is not usually a threat. Two together might be an alpha male and female and they could be a threat. And of course you don't want to have to confront a pack.

Bottom line, it was one animal, alone, and the man must be really off balance to think he needed to run over it three times and shoot it, much less run over it once. That is just plain cruel and uncalled for. He should have just left it alone. This is just so sad.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

I think some people are just itchin' to kill something...anything...and when given the green light, nothing will stop them. I work with these types of people everyday in the military, especially at this base in Idaho where the majority of my co-workers are hunters. At least they eat what they kill (mostly), but they can't stop talking about killing, and bragging about what they kill, and then itchin' for the weekend to come to go kill some more. They even take vacation during hunting season to better their chances at killing bears and elk, and many of them love to shoot coyotes and try to find wolves to kill. NONE of these animals have done anything to these humans. They're just trying to live and provide for their furry families. But hey, killing must be fun, right?!? Who cares if they have a family, they're just inferior animals who were put on the Earth for us to consume and use any way we deem necessary.


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

Hate to say it but people in my area despise coyotes enough that they do run them down. They brag all the time about running it to exhaustion on the skidoo and then running it over. It's disgusting. They are nothing but psychopaths.

Jeez, even when I hit the coyote a couple years ago I didn't have to hit it twice to kill it (and I wasn't aiming for it, there's just only so much you can do at 80kph on a highway with cars coming at you).


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

21 years and what a tragic end ...I can't read it.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

counter said:


> I think some people are just itchin' to kill something...anything...and when given the green light, nothing will stop them. I work with these types of people everyday in the military, especially at this base in Idaho where the majority of my co-workers are hunters. At least they eat what they kill (mostly), but they can't stop talking about killing, and bragging about what they kill, and then itchin' for the weekend to come to go kill some more. They even take vacation during hunting season to better their chances at killing bears and elk, and many of them love to shoot coyotes and try to find wolves to kill. NONE of these animals have done anything to these humans. They're just trying to live and provide for their furry families. But hey, killing must be fun, right?!? Who cares if they have a family, they're just inferior animals who were put on the Earth for us to consume and use any way we deem necessary.


Agree counter,
I am surrounded by folks with that attitude.They see all creatures as objects, not living beings with just as much right to live their lives as we have.I can't understand it


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

That's horrible and tragic. My friend lost several outdoor pets to coyotes in an area where they shouldn't have been, so I understand the worry by neighbors. They all must feel terrible about the dog. The owner is NOT to blame in any way, but in that location, given the danger, I would not leave a dog alone outside ever. The coyotes go after older and frail animals. My friend watched her cat become a meal right outside her window and couldn't do a thing to stop it. She lives in an area and state that allows firearms and was prepared to save her cat, but couldn't get outside fast enough.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Running an animal over like that multiple times is cruel.

But this is why people who misrepresent their animals are doing a huge disservice to the entire dog community. People who say their german shepherd/husky mix is a coydog or a wolfdog when it's not. Then regular dogs are mistaken for wolves and coyotes and cruelly destroyed.

Honestly I don't know how you can live in Canada and not be able to tell the difference between a coyote and a dog. And if you aren't sure, why kill it?


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

counter said:


> I think some people are just itchin' to kill something...anything...and when given the green light, nothing will stop them. I work with these types of people everyday in the military, especially at this base in Idaho where the majority of my co-workers are hunters. At least they eat what they kill (mostly), but they can't stop talking about killing, and bragging about what they kill, and then itchin' for the weekend to come to go kill some more. They even take vacation during hunting season to better their chances at killing bears and elk, and many of them love to shoot coyotes and try to find wolves to kill. NONE of these animals have done anything to these humans. They're just trying to live and provide for their furry families. But hey, killing must be fun, right?!? Who cares if they have a family, they're just inferior animals who were put on the Earth for us to consume and use any way we deem necessary.


There are way too many people out there like those you describe, very sad.

This is disgusting and I can't even begin to imagine why a police officer would consider running over a coyote or dog with a car that is not endangering a human or another animal. I wonder what the possibility is that they might be taught to use their cars as weapons in some circumstances.

A few years back in a neighboring town that has quite a bit of woods there was a bobcat sighting. I remember watching the news as police armed with rifles searched for the hapless animal. Fortunately, they did not find it.

I believe some of the responsibility lays no the shoulders of those who call to complain. Just what actions do they expect from the police? Certainly not a vehicle used as a weapon against a non threatening animal, but perhaps a well placed bullet? Seriously, what do these people, especially in an urban or suburban locality where police may not be trained in wildlife restraint, hope for an outcome?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

coyotes are a nuisance in many places and to farmers in particular. I have no problem with people killing coyotes. Take a gun and shoot them. Fine. Run them into exhaustion? No. Run them over -- never. Fox, coyotes, raccoons, are all cool when you see a little u-tube of some pups playing. But when you have chickens or rabbits, and they are slaughtered by a raccoon or coyote, they are less cool and sweet. 

A life is a life. We do not like flies and spiders and mosquitos bothering us, nor rats or mice in our homes. coyotes can be pesky to, so can deer. If you can find ways to deter them from coming on your property without killing them outright, good. I am happy that I haven't had to kill anything larger than a ground hog. But I can understand it. But not the cruelty. 

Milla killed a rat outside today. Ew. I disposed of it. I am glad she did not try to eat it. In fact, there was some blood on its muzzle, but I figure blunt trauma could have caused that. In fact the neighbors could have had poison out, and the thing wondered over and Milla may just wanted to play with it or catch it, and it could have just bled out. Not sure. Glad she did not eat the darn thing. 

We have no problem killing rats and mice, but coyotes are canids and we tend to feel more about them. Ah well. Nothing excuses wanton cruelty.


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