Outrage in LC over police shooting dog..Petition link update

[dfsutton]

The dog in the article was not a miniature anything.
He looked to me to be big enough to do real damage.

So should the officer just let a 80#+ dog bite him, possible doing serious injury to him, before he responds with force?
Would you step up and pay his medical bills and pay him for his time off work plus pain and suffering with out being forced to if it was your dog that injured him?

I still say Human life > any dog.

So what about this?

 

[Cat]

Look. I get the anger. But there hasn't been any indication of what exactly happened. I'd be upset as the owner, but it's ultimately on me if the gate was open. Sad, tragic, unfortunate, but not necessarily the officers fault.

 

[Sugarbug]

Yes, I would prefer that my 12 pound miniature dachshund, who never is outside except in my back yard or on a leash, take a bite of an Officer's ankle that might possibly leave a red mark on him, than have her gunned down by said Officer.

Secondly, it isn't up to you or the government to determine the value of the animal to me and my family. How much do you think my dog is worth to my 4 year old? Just wondering.

Just wanted to point out... that was no 12 pound dachshund that the officer shot. If that were so, I'd secede the point that there was no reasonable threat to the officer, but, as it was a much larger dog... I still think the officer made a judgement call.


Also, the dog I have coming in October cost a great deal more than $100... so if a cop does shoot it, Louisiana will probably go bankrupt paying me back. I wonder if you can claim the cost of training as well? I digress...

 

[dfsutton]

Look. I get the anger. But there hasn't been any indication of what exactly happened. I'd be upset as the owner, but it's ultimately on me if the gate was open. Sad, tragic, unfortunate, but not necessarily the officers fault.

The gate was open because the fleeing suspect had opened it. Not the owner's fault.

 

[Gator 45/70]

Yes it is...We are talking about an old gray faced Lab...vs. a know land shark pik-bull...

 

[Cat]

The gate was open because the fleeing suspect had opened it. Not the owner's fault.

Nor the officers.

 

[Sugarbug]

So what about this?

That's a very different circumstance.

 

[whitsend]

So what about this?

Totally different situation that what this thread is about.

 

[Pale Horse]

However, my biggest concern is the general attitude on here that the Police are above and/or more important than the citizens they are sworn to protect.

THIS

 

[whitsend]

The gate was open because the fleeing suspect had opened it. Not the owner's fault.

Nor the officers.

This.
A sad and tragic situation, but we all need to remember this one thing: "LIFE IS NOT FAIR"

 

[Sugarbug]

Good night, guys.

 

[whitsend]

Good night, guys.

+1

 

[CEHollier]

We all know what the real problem here is: White Shirts

 

[BenCarp27]

The information being handed to us from the media is vague at best. The owners' of the dog claim he was acting in anything but an aggressive manner, but witnesses with personal attachments have a tendacy to be biased in their observations. That's not to say that the dog wasn't bringing over a stick to play fetch with his new friends, but likely he wasn't.
Dogs have an amazing ability to sense choas and emotion, but they lack the ability to differentiate good/bad other than those they consider to be part of their family unit.
The reality is, based on the limited information provided, we don't really know what happened.
We have members on here who have jumped to conclusions both ways. Some seem to think a "rookie" officer, anxious to pull the trigger, indiscriminately slaughtered a beloved family pet with a smile on his face and a sense of satisfaction, after unlawfully trespassing on private property for the sole purpose of furthering his uber-Nazi sense of dictatorship.
That's a whole lot of filling in the blanks left by poor journalism.
I'm not blindly defending the officers, or issuing a blanket statement on whether a dog's life is more important than a person's.
The only thing we know about this situation is:
1. Officers were involved in a foot pursuit with suspects. These suspects ran through a neighborhood. I expect the men and women in my local sheriff's office to give chase. Letting the bad guys go doesn't set a good example. For the guys who want to "reminisce" of the good old days, when police officers respected private property and people: I call BS. Forty years ago, half the department would have flooded the neighborhood, and the suspects would have probably been shot. Anyone attempting to cross the investigation scene barricades would have taken a billy club to the chin and spent the night in the local lockup.
2. During the pursuit, the suspects left a gate open, and a dog got out. An officer involved in the pursuit felt the dog was approaching in a threatening manner and used deadly force to protect himself. Regardless of right or wrong, this is a tragedy to the family of the animal. The officer probably feels some degree of guilt, also. Regardless of the ever growing popular belief, most police officers dont wake up saying, "Gee, I really hope I get to kill something today." I don't know the officer involved, but I'd be willing to bet he isn't the evil, totalitarian beast people automatically assume him to be.
3. The police officers caught the bad guys. That is the way it is supposed to end. Just like the comic books and movies taught us. John Wayne style. Everyone smokes a cigar and the neighborhood is safer, until some lenient, hippie judge lets them go due to mental anguish or an impoverished upbringing.

I'm not defending the police officer, or saying that the dog's death should have no merit. But, I also can't sit here and expect the police officers that are charged with protecting my family to take to the streets with kid gloves and a legal liability mind set, constantly prolonging and foregoing actual police work while looking over their shoulders and worrying about lawsuits or offending someone's feelings.
In one sentence, people will say that the world is headed to Hell in a hand basket, and crime has never been worse. In another sentence, they claim police have more authority now than they've ever had.
I think the reason crime has never been worse is because police are constantly losing what authority they had. They can't exactly thump drunks, ruffians and thugs on the head like they used to in the "good ol' days" some members like to reminisce about so often. Forty or fifty years ago, certain people knew to stay in certain neighborhoods so things like this wouldn't happen. It wasn't uncommon to wind up in the "drunk tank", only to be released the following morning with no charges. Talk about a lack of rights...
Just my .02 cents.

 

[Gator 45/70]

Real reason is we dog lover's know that a man who does not like dog's is not to be trusted...

Your dog will let you know who's a snake and who's not...

 

[alpinehyperlite]

I'm not siding with anyone, but just saying my miniature pinscher (7.5 lbs) was choking on a bone. I tried to reach in quickly to pull it out of his throat and he bit through my entire finger in one bite. Animals have extremely powerful jaws. No matter of size.

 

[Cat]

That's the gods honest truth. My mother had a thing for letting me have hamsters and gerbils growing up. Those little things f---ing hurt.

 

[tim9lives]

Some cops have serious phobias with dogs. In fact they are scared to death of dogs...and their first reaction on seeing a dog is to shoot or threaten to shoot every dog they encounter.

I have a big Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is actually a very playful dog, however on more than one occasion I have been threatened by cops who stated that they will shoot my dog if the dog approaches them.

Then again, I have also recently encountered cops who understood dogs....They immediately could tell the difference between a friendly dog and an aggressive dog. They just went ahead and pet my dog.

In all honesty...it seems to me that cops should be trained better about how to react and deal with dogs. Maybe this could be part of the training at the academies.

 

[MOTOR51]

Seriously, this has turned out to be hilarious. I now have some roll call training for this morning because sometimes officers forget that there are some real nut jobs out there.

 

[Peacemaker]

Real reason is we dog lover's know that a man who does not like dog's is not to be trusted...

Your dog will let you know who's a snake and who's not...

I whole heartedly agree with that.