What the hell is going on with all the police killing dogs?

[MikeK]

Sometimes the local PD will shoot pits and the like running loose after they have reports of aggression. They started using this telescoping harness thing to try to stop having to shoot some of them, but recently a dog they caught in it died on the way to the pound--they think it damaged its windpipe when they looped it on its neck because the dog was fine when they first caged it for transport and it was only like a 15 minute trip.

There are good, intelligent cops who do things in the right and best way. But we rarely hear about proper performance by these individuals. What we do hear about is misconduct by uniformed jerk-offs who can't get enough of asserting themselves at every opportunity. Unfortunately the good guys eventually are affected by the misconduct of the bad and the not-so-good.

While there are clear and specific guidelines as to the use of lethal force against a human subject, the guidelines where using the gun against an animal are comparatively vague and permissive. Whereas a human subject needs to be somehow armed and menacing to justify the use of lethal force, all that a dog needs to do harm are his/her teeth. And whether the animal's behavior was menacing or not is entirely up to a confronted cop's judgment, and therein lies the tale.

My neighbor has a big, goofy, golden retriever who often pulls the leash out of her hand, charges and jumps at anyone he sees. But he's a big dumb, spoiled puppy who just wants to play. He's not a protective or a defensive dog, he's just dumb and playful. He's been loved by humans all his life and in turn he regards humans as a source of fun and affection. The problem is he scares the hell out of anyone who doesn't know him -- and doesn't know all that is necessary is to point at him and shout, "down!"

That would stop him, as would a stream of OC gas right in his face. But some cops would go right for the gun, mainly because they know they can, and thus break the heart of a nice old woman who loves that goofy animal dearly.

The final consideration is the obvious and important difference in the example of an apparently vicious dog attacking randomly in a public place and that of a dog who is defending a fenced, private yard. Such consideration should be clearly and firmly emphasized in use-of-force procedural guidelines.

 

[sameech]

Sometimes the local PD will shoot pits and the like running loose after they have reports of aggression. They started using this telescoping harness thing to try to stop having to shoot some of them, but recently a dog they caught in it died on the way to the pound--they think it damaged its windpipe when they looped it on its neck because the dog was fine when they first caged it for transport and it was only like a 15 minute trip.

There are good, intelligent cops who do things in the right and best way. But we rarely hear about proper performance by these individuals. What we do hear about is misconduct by uniformed jerk-offs who can't get enough of asserting themselves at every opportunity. Unfortunately the good guys eventually are affected by the misconduct of the bad and the not-so-good.

While there are clear and specific guidelines as to the use of lethal force against a human subject, the guidelines where using the gun against an animal are comparatively vague and permissive. Whereas a human subject needs to be somehow armed and menacing to justify the use of lethal force, all that a dog needs to do harm are his/her teeth. And whether the animal's behavior was menacing or not is entirely up to a confronted cop's judgment, and therein lies the tale.

My neighbor has a big, goofy, golden retriever who often pulls the leash out of her hand, charges and jumps at anyone he sees. But he's a big dumb, spoiled puppy who just wants to play. He's not a protective or a defensive dog, he's just dumb and playful. He's been loved by humans all his life and in turn he regards humans as a source of fun and affection. The problem is he scares the hell out of anyone who doesn't know him -- and doesn't know all that is necessary is to point at him and shout, "down!"

That would stop him, as would a stream of OC gas right in his face. But some cops would go right for the gun, mainly because they know they can, and thus break the heart of a nice old woman who loves that goofy animal dearly.

The final consideration is the obvious and important difference in the example of an apparently vicious dog attacking randomly in a public place and that of a dog who is defending a fenced, private yard. Such consideration should be clearly and firmly emphasized in use-of-force procedural guidelines.

I agree. My brother has a big goofy pitbull that sometimes gets loose and runs amuck. I am amazed it never got shot by the police just because he is big, scary looking and likes to run up on people. He, however, has been picked up every time he got out just about by the police without incident. A few times I tracked him down first, and once I had to get him from the police who had caught him and I just happened by on my way to my brother's and recognized the dog.

A couple of times all they had to do was open the back door to their car and he ran right in and sat down with a big old smile on his face. Of course you get a nice fat ticket every time it happens in my city, but that is better than them shooting him. Once he had been picked up and the pound denied they had him in a telephone call, but we went over anyway and found him. I think they were hoping nobody would get him because the lady who runs the place wants pitbulls outlawed and probably wanted to euthanize him. He was already on doggie death row when we showed up.