Sorry for the loss. I believe the Breed of the dog shouldn't be an issue here. It's policy, tactics and common sense at play here. I often ponder what would happen if something like this or a mistaked "no knock warrant" was ever served at my house. My german shephards would altert/ the cops would shoot, me hearing intruders shootng my animals in my home would appear guns blazing. It would be hard to see where the misunderstanding would stop at that point, but there would be no good outcome. This isn't the middle east an officer shouldn't enter a home without announcing. The SOP needs to change IMHO. If policy wasn't violated based on what's been said it sure seems common sense was.
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Shooting Dogs.....
- Thread starter jcountry
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I can't remember if this was mentioned or not, but here goes....
The officer felt that this dog was "aggressive" and they followed "protocol". How many robbers, home invaders, sex offenders, etc. go break into a house and bring their dog with them? What were the police thinking when they found the back door open and a barking dog? The "robber" brought his dog with to defend from the police when they showed up? Common sense would tell you that the dog lived there, and if there was this "aggressive dog", don't you think the robber would have taken off after seeing this dog? Not just stroll into the house past the dog? There's not a threat INSIDE the house if the officers themselves couldn't even get in.
Again, this IS making headlines around Georgia, and my parents out in Colorado even heard about it out there. And if the Cobb County Police Department has their way, this will get pushed under the rug. Considering they closed the case within 24 hours of the incident, they're HOPING AND PRAYING that it goes away. This goes beyond gun rights, home owner rights, etc. This could be considered animal cruelty, police brutality, etc. I'm sure we could get enough animal lovers and people who believe the officer was in the wrong to get Cobb County to investigate this further and at LEAST apply disciplinary action to the officer who fired. Get him to stop hiding behind the PR department and have to answer for his decisions.
The officer felt that this dog was "aggressive" and they followed "protocol". How many robbers, home invaders, sex offenders, etc. go break into a house and bring their dog with them? What were the police thinking when they found the back door open and a barking dog? The "robber" brought his dog with to defend from the police when they showed up? Common sense would tell you that the dog lived there, and if there was this "aggressive dog", don't you think the robber would have taken off after seeing this dog? Not just stroll into the house past the dog? There's not a threat INSIDE the house if the officers themselves couldn't even get in.
Again, this IS making headlines around Georgia, and my parents out in Colorado even heard about it out there. And if the Cobb County Police Department has their way, this will get pushed under the rug. Considering they closed the case within 24 hours of the incident, they're HOPING AND PRAYING that it goes away. This goes beyond gun rights, home owner rights, etc. This could be considered animal cruelty, police brutality, etc. I'm sure we could get enough animal lovers and people who believe the officer was in the wrong to get Cobb County to investigate this further and at LEAST apply disciplinary action to the officer who fired. Get him to stop hiding behind the PR department and have to answer for his decisions.
Good post and I will add one point.
The officer most likely had his weapon drawn as he approached the house. It is purely asinine to think someone could re-holster the drawn weapon and grab the mace while backpedaling from a dog.
How long should the officer have waited to see if the dog was aggressive or just noisy? Should he have to wait until the dog is actually biting him?
IMO---Why should the homeowner have to secure his dog?
There are so many scenarios and possibilities here. The fact is the LEO shot and killed an innocent dog that was protecting his masters home. He did NOT have to shoot the dog. That is the main issue here.
When the dog starting barking the LEO should have starting "barking" to the homeowner announcing himself as an LEO. If my dogs are barking I immediately investigate it with protection in my hand. If anyone comes into my home unannounced, there is a 99% chance of them getting shot several times. The LEO could have very easily been shot and killed by the homeowner, then what, Where lies that responsibility? Homeowner go to prison for murder?,,,or homeowner mistaken for burglar and probably shot and killed also by his fellow LEO's?
The LEO is clearly liable and responsible for this dog's wrongful death. I say sue the LEO and anybody higher in his chain of command that agrees with him and his actions.
I could go on and on about this unfortunate up situation. It pisses me off mainly because the case closed so quickly.
To the dog owner, I am very sorry for your loss. I hope that justice is served to the one that unjustly murdered your dog.
There are so many scenarios and possibilities here. The fact is the LEO shot and killed an innocent dog that was protecting his masters home. He did NOT have to shoot the dog. That is the main issue here.
When the dog starting barking the LEO should have starting "barking" to the homeowner announcing himself as an LEO. If my dogs are barking I immediately investigate it with protection in my hand. If anyone comes into my home unannounced, there is a 99% chance of them getting shot several times. The LEO could have very easily been shot and killed by the homeowner, then what, Where lies that responsibility? Homeowner go to prison for murder?,,,or homeowner mistaken for burglar and probably shot and killed also by his fellow LEO's?
The LEO is clearly liable and responsible for this dog's wrongful death. I say sue the LEO and anybody higher in his chain of command that agrees with him and his actions.
I could go on and on about this unfortunate up situation. It pisses me off mainly because the case closed so quickly.
To the dog owner, I am very sorry for your loss. I hope that justice is served to the one that unjustly murdered your dog.
This is just a silly position...
The officer would holster his weapon and draw a taser or a spray or baton the same exact way he would do if an unarmed person was approaching him!
Any cop without that basic level of competence should absolutely be fired! He is a danger to himself and the community!!
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How fast does a human move? How fast is a dog? If a person was running flat out at an officer with a weapon in hand he would get a belly full of lead. Make no mistake, a dog's mouth is his weapon.
I see the reasons for both sides, but please remember that none of us were there to know exactly what happened. Bass Akwards says there's more to the story, so we should wait to make judgment. I am sorry to hear he lost his dog. My Aussie sheperd is my best friend and I cannot imagine losing him.
That said, I was curious as to how and where the dog was shot - whether he was barking at the back door or running towards the back door while barking? Obviously the perception to the officer would be different if the dog was coming at you and barking aggressively. However, if the lab is anything like my Aussie, he would have been at the backdoor long before the LEO's approach. My dog can tell there is someone at the front door from the back of the house with no line of sight and no doorbell rung. OP says the LEO came in through a screen door and shot the dog, so the question is whether he knew the dog was behind the door and came in anyways or was he surprised by the dog after he entered the porch door? Most porch doors are see through and dogs bark pretty loud. I have a bit of a hard time believing the LEO was surprised. But again, if there's more to the story, it will come out.
If I as a LEO and knew where you guys lived there is NO WAY I would respond to ANY call for help from your home. You've already said I could not defend myself and you would shoot me if I entered your home for any reason unannounced. You're on your own. BTW, why the HELL did this home owner have an alarm system if he DIDN'T want LE to respond?
Yeah Hoss. If you call the police through your alarm system, give them permission to enter through your contract, and shoot the uniformed officer who responds, you go to prison.
You need some perspective. Animals are not human and any implication to the contrary is problematic. The man's companion was destroyed and that is tragic but drawing moral comparisons to killing a human is ignorant. I guess I was responsible for the murder of a steer yesterday, I have murdered or maimed hundreds of thousands of fish in my lifetime, I have even slaughtered a couple deer.
He (the owner) said in the story that he was in a rush, on his way to a hospital to see his first grandchild being born. While he was on the phone with his alarm company, he said he couldn't remember his password. He told the alarm company operator that, "I'll just wait here at the front door and when Cobb County shows up and give them my ID let them know I'm the homeowner it was a false alarm." However the police came to the back door where the dog was and shot the dog. The LE said that the dog chased them into the yard, but the owner said she was very gentle and never was aggressive...which is typical Lab personality.
It's very sad... I hope that the Cobb Co. LE take this seriously and look at additional training for their officers on how to handle this situation better. I am a dog lover and I could not imagine what it would be like to suffer what the owner did in the manner he did, however when it comes down to it LE are trying to do their job and its a very difficult job at times that requires good decision making ability and training. Overall they LE's do a great job at it, but then there are times like this that lessons can and should be learned.
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