Rottweiler shot by police officer

[Birdie'sMom]

Originally Posted by Sansano

I will chime in with 'another reason not to leave a dog unattended' crowd. This whole incident does not occur if the dog is secure. My dogs would have done the exact same thing(run at full boar to the cop). His comments about the dog being a burglars dog are ludicrous and I am sure he will realize that once he reads it in print.

I also wonder if maybe the officer shouldn't go into a backyard if he sees a dog is in there? I mean, no one was at home. The officer was protecting propery if anything. Maybe they should not go into situation where they have to put themselves in danger from a dog when they are only protecting someones property and NOT actual people in danger. JMO.

I agree with this post 100%!

[Jaegergirl]

Originally Posted by Burnsway

True, but look at the other side. The UPS man, Mail Carrier and meter readers are not usually called onto that spot with the fact there may be immediate danger. They know they may have time to dodge the dog, befriend him or even throw a treat.

A cop called out on a call of domestic violence, drug deals, or robbery does not have the time to think about the dog when someone including themselves may be in danger. I agree in some situations these cops are acting too fast but I don't like the trend I'm seeing lately that they are all trigger happy. We(including myself) seem lately to be stereo typing them! The cops not the dogs........:D

Walk a mile in their shoes, no just a block would do....... :D It is not a pretty picture out there and I'm sorry to say but if I was a cop the dogs safety would not be the first on my list in these situations...... :(

excellent post. for every one trigger happy officer, there are thousands of others who are not. while it's unfortunate the dog was shot, i can't say i wouldn't have reacted the same way had i been the officer.

his comment about him not knowing who the dog belonged to was a bit silly.

also, i agree this is just one more reason why dogs should not be left unattended outside.

[samanthac]

Originally Posted by K9-man

There’s a product called Halt. It’s a dog repellent for personal protection from dog attacks. It’s clipped on the belt of every mail carrier and meter reader that I see. I also see it on most of the UPS and Fed Express guys I see. Why not on the cop’s belt? I'm pretty sure they all carry mace, no? Why not use that instead of the gun right away?

Did you ever try mace or pepper spray on a dog? Fact is that on many dogs it has no affect at all and only serves to piss them off or even more if they are already pissed off. Second, you better have some pretty good dang good aim to mace and hit on the mark a Rottweiler/Pit/large dog running full bore at you. Do you realize how close these people have to be to get that kind of aim? Frankly I'd never let an unknown dog get that close to me. In that situation my bet is on the dog 9 times out of 10. :)

I am in 100% agreement with PBM. These people have a SPLIT SECOND to try to assess the danger of the situation and their personal safety....its takes a very short time for a dog to gap the distance. Knowledge of dogs or not, if there is a large dog running full bore at me that I did not know and it came to my personal protection or the dog, I'd drop the dog in a heartbeat. It would break my heart, but my personal protection is first and foremost.

Again, yet another very sad reminder of why dogs should not be laft unattended in yards when people are not home. :(

[Jaegergirl]

Originally Posted by samanthac

Did you ever try mace or pepper spray on a dog? Fact is that on many dogs it has no affect at all and only serves to piss them off or even more if they are already pissed off. Second, you better have some pretty good dang good aim to mace and hit on the mark a Rottweiler/Pit/large dog running full bore at you. Do you realize how close these people have to be to get that kind of aim? Frankly I'd never let an unknown dog get that close to me. In that situation my bet is on the dog 9 times out of 10. :)

I am in 100% agreement with PBM. These people have a SPLIT SECOND to try to assess the danger of the situation and their personal safety....its takes a very short time for a dog to gap the distance. Knowledge of dogs or not, if there is a large dog running full bore at me that I did not know and it came to my personal protection or the dog, I'd drop the dog in a heartbeat. It would break my heart, but my personal protection is first and foremost.

yes, i'm with you on that one! :)

[godfreyc]

I'll tell you what, I'll put a big billboard in my yard that says:

I don't care if they're stealing the whole da** house or beating the sh** out of me, don't come in my yard and shoot my dog!

Maybe then they'll get the message and leave us alone.

[stevenc]

I agree with PBM and SamanthaC. This my friends is why a Rotty should be crated when left unattended!

[LavenderRott]

Originally Posted by stevenc

I agree with PBM and SamanthaC. This my friends is why a Rotty should be crated when left unattended!

Would you feel the need to crate your beagle?

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by Burnsway

But to add to this, those same breeds are the exact breeds I love in my care........:D If my neighbor does not start containing his Pit he is going to loose him to my back yard.......:D :D :D Just kidding........

You Know I just re read this and I hope you guys know that I meant I like the dog and the back yard reference was keeping him for myself not burying him six feet under.......

Just wanted to clarify that because after I re read it I thought it sounded kinda bad....... :o

[Sansano]

Originally Posted by LavenderRott

Would you feel the need to crate your beagle?

I think it is prudent as a dog owner to keep any breed of dog secure when left unattended. However I definately think we as Rottweiller owners have to take EXTRA precaution with our dogs based on their natural disposition AND the incorrect stereotyping that may be out there. Rottweilers can cause MUCH more damage than a beagle or a poodle. If I am in a situation with a unknown Rottie, you can bet I am going to be a lot more apprehensive than with a poodle or beagle. It's only common sense.

[stevenc]

Originally Posted by LavenderRott

Would you feel the need to crate your beagle?

Absolutely! If anything ever happened to my dog because I left him or her unattended, I would never forgive myself. By crating the dog, I insure that he will never get hurt. For example, In Tennessee there was a rotty that was shot by a PO because when he asked the individual to step out of the car, the dog was loose and rushed the PO who in turn shot him on the spot. The dog is my responsibility and if anything happens to him or her I would have no one to blame but myself. :(

[zeus'smommy]

Godfreyc...

Can you send me one of those signs for my yard?? I think that is the best idea ever. I do have signs on my doors asking if there is an emergency- please rescue my rottweiler- but now that I stop and think about it- they would probably rescue my lab and my jack russell and leave poor Zeus baby!!! It's just perception- and we all deal with perceptions each and every day of our lives...

I still think the sign Godfreyc suggested is the BEST!!! :D :D

[Rottnlove]

This just confirms my belief that crating your dogs while away is the safest and best thing you can do.

My girl is always in her crate while we are away. I don't want to chance anything. Some people may disagree with this, but I have the peace of mind she is safer there while unattended.

I don't know what to think about the officer shooting this Rottweiler, because I didn't witness the situation. But if the dog was charging at him, I can't blame him for feeling the need to protect himself. :(

[wilko]

I think I have a good perspective on this one as I am a parcel delivery driver and my brother is a serving officer in the UK police.

Both of us have encountered large and unfriendly dogs on "their turf". I don't carry Mace as it is illegal in the UK, or anything else for that matter. I have been "held" by an aggressive doberman but I wasn't that bothered - very few dogs will actually bite without provocation. Even if I had got some mace I doubt very much I would have used it; common sense and careful body language is often enough.

The police do have mace but my bro has never used his, although he has "got it ready" a couple of times. Maybe as an experienced dog owner he can read a dog's intentions well enough not to need to. To Mace a dog would be one thing but to shoot it when it hasn't even bitten you is just appalling. I think its a total disgrace this dog was shot - its like using a hand grenade to get rid of an anthill! The police should pay the bill and buy the dog a nice big bone to say sorry.

Maybe I have been reading too many Michael Moore books recently but the shooting of this dog seems to have more to do with the attitude of Americans to guns than anything to do with it's breed or behaviour. No offence intended just speaking my mind. :)

[Sansano]

Originally Posted by wilko

Maybe I have been reading too many Michael Moore books recently but the shooting of this dog seems to have more to do with the attitude of Americans to guns than anything to do with it's breed or behaviour. No offence intended just speaking my mind. :)

Moore is a wanker and his books are rubbish. :D

[German Vanegas]

Originally Posted by Jaegergirl

... for every one trigger happy officer, there are thousands of others who are not...

While I agree to some extent with your personal opinion (I don't know if the ratio is 1 to 1,000), still is quite disturbing to know that there are "trigger happy" police officers out there. Why? Because they can shoot people too, and unjustifiable shootings do happen. Recent police shootings in Houston have been highly questionable; in the most recent one got a police officer indicted for criminal homicide. This Houston cop shot a 14-years young boy in the head because allegedly the kid kicked him in the groin, although eyewitnesses reported that did not happen. But even so, does a kick in the "balls" justify the use of deadly force by a police officer?... You see, it only takes a few of those "trigger happy" cops to commit an unjustice... or to shot a dog without provocation or a valid reason. This is just my personal opinion too ;)

I want to let people know, beforehand, that some of my very best friends are law enforcement officers, for whom I have the utmost respect and esteem. However, I don't pretend to ignore that some of them can be very bad, albeit most cops are the finest people, the bad ones are truly scary.