Absolutely justified. Nice shot under heavy stress, I'm sure. Good on the cop... I'm sure the Animal Control guy was very thankful.

 

He did what he had to do to keep everyone safe. Shame for the dog but good shoot for the cop

 

I watched this about a dozen times tyring to make a decision. Judging by what I saw in that video, no. If I were there in person, maybe.

The dogs were not attacking from what I saw, the brown one was zooming around and playing with the catch pole because he didn't want to be caught. My Pit Bull (not Pitbull) does the same thing on a nightly basis when we get him riled up. When the AC officer fell he had PLENTY of time to bite and attack. This wasn't an attack, this was an officer having no idea what he was doing, IMO, and a trigger happy cop. The other two dogs just walked away when the gun fired; no attacking Pit Bull would do that.

 

The cop didn't have the luxury of watching the scenario "about a dozen times trying to make a decision" ... he had seconds to react. It was a dangerous situation and IMHO, sad as it seems, I feel the cop was justified in shooting the dog.

 

And the problem was neither did the Animal Control officer nor the police officer.

They also didn't know the dogs.

I would have probably fired too. I may have waited until the dog had actually grabbed an arm or leg, but then the risk of hitting the one being bitten rises significantly.

I hate to Monday morning quarterback incidences like these. I wasn't there. This dog may have a bite history or could have been the gentlist PB on the planet. You just don't know.

 

Not justified. They didn't look like they were being terribly aggressive, it looked more like some energetic dogs reacting to the man's sporadic movements. The man was panicking and flailing his pole around, of course an animal is going to chase it. None of that looked like the dogs trying to attack the man.

If I were to run around my yard my dog would do the exact same thing.

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Justified. If he had gone down again he could have been seriously injured. The officer had no way of knowing a warning shot would work.


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Justified. If he had gone down again he could have been seriously injured. The officer had no way of knowing a warning shot would work.


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But... He fell because he was running around like a fool and was an idiot, not because of the dogs. lol

 

Justified, I saw three unsure dogs trying to scare off a "threat". I don't see too many dogs playing with hackles up.

 

You don't? I work at a private dog park with over 200 dogs as members and I see my own and other dogs playing with their hackles up on a daily basis. It absolutely is never a 100% sign of aggression.

well - if there were 3 pit bulls circling me - and I fell....I sure would be thankful that the officer was there.

Why? You would have fallen, gotten back up, and stumbled around a few more times without being bit before the cop actually shot a dog... He fell and got up just fine with no attack happening.

 

well - if there were 3 pit bulls circling me - and I fell....I sure would be thankful that the officer was there.

Look at all the videos on the side where the key words are 'pit bull' and 'attack'

Some are very very sad for the owners and their pets who are killed....I cried over the 17 year old cat killed in her own yard and her teen aged owner crying over the cat ....

I don't blame the officer at all....he was protecting the AC officer.

Lee

 

Wow. It really looked like playtime (from the dogs' perspective) to me, as well...

I can't imagine catching any dog, much less one of three amped up dogs, by running around in circles and panicking.

Could have been handled better IMO. I wasn't there, though...

 

Sorry but I believe it was justified. Its easy to arm chair quarterback and say "my dog ....."

Keep in mind that most people on this board who do the "well my dog..." don't let their dogs get into a position where its even a question.

It was a question here and if I had been in that situation I probably woulda shot to. If anyone on this board had been on a walk and this happened to them, the majority of people on this board would praise them for taking any action to keep themselves safe, so why is it different for the cop?

I say blame the dogs owners, not the cop, or the dog.

 

Justified, sadly. You just never know with ANY dog, from a Pit Bull down to a Pomeranian and everything in between. LEOs and most AC people are not animal behaviorists or trainers, so what we see as playing or strictly defensive actions, to another inexperienced person can be seen as an attack or an animal about to attack.

It sucks, but it was a clean shoot.

 

Sorry. I have now watched this video multiple times. The brown dog was going in for a bite when shot. Yes the officer was all over the place, he was fending off dogs from all sides. They were not playing.


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Sorry. I have now watched this video multiple times. The brown dog was going in for a bite when shot. Yes the officer was all over the place, he was fending off dogs from all sides. They were not playing.


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Did you slow it down and freeze it? I went back and did this just now because I didn't see that. The dog was dodging the catch pole and moving towards the concrete barrier while flinching, it appears, as the cop shot him. He was not moving towards the AC officer.

 

I kind of want to take my Pit Bull into the backyard when I get home with a 6' pvc pole that we have of 1" diameter, tape a loop of string the end, and record what he does when I stick it at him. I can almost guarantee he would look just like these dogs did.

Is it a good idea to use caution in a situation like this? Absolutely. A warning shot in the air would have been a good place to start, imo. Or, waiting until there was actually an ATTACK, you know... Maybe a competent officer would help, as well.

eta; I think these questions on a GSD board are kind of silly, as well. Many people here dislike Pit Bulls and terriers in general, and have no experience with them, what do you think they're going to say?

 

A warning shot in the air would have been a good place to start, imo.

Absolutely not! The officer made a smart choice in being aware of where that bullet was going to go. Right through the dog and into a very big hill side. Warning shot in the air is how people die.

 

And just where does the 'warning shot' land? You are accountable for any shots fired.

Top of a bystanders head, a little kids bedroom maybe? Warning shots are never a good idea. If you have to draw a weapon you better be ready to use it as intended on the target.

 

And just where does the 'warning shot' land? You are accountable for any shots fired.

Top of a bystanders head, a little kids bedroom maybe? Warning shots are never a good idea. If you have to draw a weapon you better be ready to use it as intended on the target.

I am not a cop, and that is not the point. He could have just as easily fired into the hill without the dog present if he was going to decide he needed to fire.

 

The shot wasn't justified at that particular time. I'll explain later - gotta run. Keep it civil so it stays open.

 

KOAU30- that sort of language is not allowed on this forum.

KOAU30's post was removed for obvious reasons. Thank you. ADMIN

 

KOAU30- that sort of language is not allowed on this forum.

I find it interesting that this is the first post they decided to make. I reported them, lol.

 

Can't comment on the video, don't know the circumstances (why was AC called out, what's the dog's previous history, etc) but I'd be in a rage if I knew cops were firing shots as warnings. IMO you don't draw a gun unless you intend to shoot and you don't shoot unless you are prepared to kill so if you aren't prepared or justified in killing then you don't draw the weapon, period. If he was justified in drawing his weapon, then based on the video he used it appropriately. A few years ago a loose bullet missed my left temple by 4 inches (two different state police agencies were involved) so I'm pretty hot and bothered about people firing weapons when they aren't serious. Almost having your head blown open by accident will change one's attitude.

 

Warning shots get cops fired. The use of a gun is for deadly force scenarios only. You pull the trigger, that muzzle had better be pointed at the threat, and that threat had better be endangering your or someone else's life. Not the air. Not the ground. Dogs have been shown to continue to fight through pepper spray. I would need to know more about this scenario...what happened before the video began, history of the dogs (or whatever info a.c. and le had...ultimately it's too hard to judge from this video without being there or having the aforementioned information. I've seen worse dog attacks, and I've seen horribly unjustified shootings.

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Warning shots get cops fired. The use of a gun is for deadly force scenarios only. You pull the trigger, that muzzle had better be pointed at the threat, and that threat had better be endangering your or someone else's life. Not the air. Not the ground. Dogs have been shown to continue to fight through pepper spray. I would need to know more about this scenario...what happened before the video began, history of the dogs (or whatever info a.c. and le had...ultimately it's too hard to judge from this video without being there or having the aforementioned information. I've seen worse dog attacks, and I've seen horribly unjustified shootings.

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But dogs WEREN'T fighting. No one was bit, no dogs were fighting, those dogs were not set on aggression or they would have engaged RIGHT away.

 

Honestly, I've spoken out against shooting dogs.

But when exactly is it justified to shoot one? Should he have been on the ground getting mauled first?

In this case, I'd say absolutely justified. To me it looked like he was going after the leg right before he was shot.

We can go about this all day long. Stop the video, go back and forth and disect ever single second. In that moment, they didn't have that time. They can't stop a video and go back to look what the dog is doing. There were three dogs. The brown one looked like he was just going after the guys leg. The cop shot! Justified.

 

Honestly, I've spoken out against shooting dogs.

But when exactly is it justified to shoot one? Should he have been on the ground getting mauled first?

In this case, I'd say absolutely justified. To me it looked like he was going after the leg right before he was shot.

We can go about this all day long. Stop the video, go back and forth and disect ever single second. In that moment, they didn't have that time. They can't stop a video and go back to look what the dog is doing. There were three dogs. The brown one looked like he was just going after the guys leg. The cop shot! Justified.

This is the thing though; to an untrained eye, a terrier playing the way it does looks like it's about to attack someone. My terrier looks like he is going to kill my boyfriend on a daily basis but has absolutely no intent to. When STRANGERS get him riled up and play with him, he looks the same way. It's how they play. That doesn't make it justified.

 

My point stands. This guy had no idea what he was doing and KILLED something. That is beyond rage to me. Felony or not, he would have better served the situation to not do anything or shoot somewhere else.

 

This guy had no idea what he was doing and KILLED something.

I think exactly the opposite. I think he knew exactly what he was doing and killed something.

And Mrs.K- NO he should not have to be on the ground getting mauled before the dog is dispatched.

 

Well, maybe you should have been there instead then.

 

Well, this has been on my mind and I watched again and thought about it while I was taking a break, and as confident as I am with dogs, I probably would have been running in circles and panicky as well...I just pray I am never in that situation.

Maybe they tried corralling the dogs differently, we don't know. We only see a few seconds at the end of the situation where things look all willy nilly.

As it stands, I do need to state that the police officer reacted very well, and that was a great shot.

And I completely agree that while it's sad to lose a dog's life, human life prevails. And it's not the AC officer or the police officer at fault here... even if they screwed up royally before the vid started, which we will probably never know. It's the dog owner's fault that the dog was put down, period.

 

Cops shouldn't have to be animal behaviorists in order to do their job. They don't have to know how certain breeds look when they are playing. The onus is on the OWNER to contain the dog train the dog not to run away. It's the police officer's job to ensure the safety of the people- to serve the people. In this case he stopped a potentially dangerous situation from escalating. Blame the owners for their irresponsibility- not the cop for doing his job.

There have been some clear video of unjustified shootings of dogs displayed on these forums. But this one simply isn't one in my mind. When the AC officer went down, the situation escalated like it or not. The cop was fast thinking and made a SAFE, CLEAR shot resolving the situation.

 

AGREED!

This one was absolutely justified and in my opinion, this wasn't just play. Those dogs were unsure about themselves. If one had went in to go after that leg, I wouldn't have been surprised if they all had went in to finish him off.

The officer did what he had to do.

 

You can't ask "was this justified" and expect not to hear blame. I obviously think it wasn't justified, so yes, I think the cop made a huge mistake.

That doesn't mean I don't blame the owners of the dogs, though... but what if they were stray dogs? Who is to blame, then?

German Shepherds acting this way? Definitely would have been justified. I just see this way too often to have any desire to think this is what an aggressive pit bull looks like. lol.

 

That doesn't mean I don't blame the owners of the dogs, though... but what if they were stray dogs? Who is to blame, then?

German Shepherds acting this way? Definitely would have been justified. I just see this way too often to have any desire to think this is what an aggressive pit bull looks like. lol.

Huh? Do you really want to play the blame game in that scenario...unregulated breeding practices (ie the government), puppies came from owners of a bitch at some point, so I would STILL blame some owner along the line....who would you blame? Let me guess...the police? It's easy to blame the people who have to take care of the problem, when the people who caused the problem aren't right in front of you. Think outside your box, sometimes the blame lies in someone who isn't there....

 

You can only blame so far back.

 

You're losing me here, D. This is such an obtuse, silly, cop-out...(haha, like my pun??). Of COURSE I can blame back, I can blame back to where the problem started...because THAT's where the problem started. It's ignorant (imo) to pick and choose what you want to look at....the whole picture ALWAYS needs to be taken into account...this video is a moment in time.

I agree with PP, it isn't the cops job to be an animal behaviorist...**** I know a lot of VETERINARIANS who don't know jack about animal behavior when it comes to play vs aggression...and to then expect them to know it by breed...nope.

The LE and animal control are RESPONDERS, they respond and make sure everyone is safe. If it comes down to animal vs human, human wins every time.

And I know a lot of LE, almost everyone likes animals more (they get a little jaded when dealing with the scum of the scum and the judgemental ***** who like to tell them how to do their job but have never stepped foot on their side of the street) than people...but their JOB is to protect PEOPLE first and foremost.

Little tangent side story...my husband, years ago, was responding to a hit and run of a dog. Got there and this dog was snarling and snapping, obviously very broken up, couldn't walk/move it's legs. A couple bystanders were there, animal control was taking too long, the bystanders told my husband he should just shoot the dog, put it down, take it out of it's misery. My husband wrapped a towel around the dogs head, put it in his cruiser, got bit a few times, blood everywhere, and drove lights and sirens, to the nearest animal hospital. He was so beat up over that dang dog.

I would bet that the officer in this video didn't like or want to shoot the dog, I would bet he waited as long as he could, possibly too long, before finally shooting...or maybe I'm just an optimistic sap...I'll tell you one thing D, it isn't what they show you on the news or in Hollywood. Seriously, go on a ride along. That's what we tell all our "know it all" friends to do. They are always a little shaken up by what they see happening in ,"their town" and are at least a LITTLE less 'know it all" when they hear about LE making hard decisions and calls.