Owner disputes dog death in custody (Beverly Hills, MI)

[Rene Allegrini]

How completely avoidable!


Beverly Hills Owner disputes dog death in custody

Animal control says canine was vicious, died after mouth was taped, resident upset with restraints used.


BEVERLY HILLS -- A stuffed toy dog rests at the foot of a white sign on the 16000 block of Amherst. Its message: "Beverly Hills Police are dog killers."

And as rumors circulate in the neighborhood that the cops shot a resident's dog, Chief Karl Woodard, the public safety director, said, "It's simply not true."

Authorities acknowledge that Christopher Glime's Rottweiler died while in the custody of animal control officers. But they tell a different story:

A Beverly Hills resident was walking her Labrador retriever on a leash around 1:30 p.m. July 23 at the intersection of Lauderdale and Pierce, when the wandering Rottweiler ran up and grabbed hold of the Lab's neck, Woodard said.

Neighbors called 911 after hearing the woman scream. Two passersby helped separate the dogs and sat on the Rottweiler until police arrived, even though the dog repeatedly tried to bite them. The Labrador required $2,000 in surgery for neck and head injuries, Woodard said. Its owner has asked to remain anonymous.

Police and an animal control officer from Southfield Township were unable to subdue the Rottweiler with five shots from a Taser. The dog continued to struggle after it was restrained with a 6-foot catch stick around its neck and was placed in the animal control truck.

The Rottweiler, which had no identifying tags, calmed down only after having its mouth taped. Animal control officers did not have a cage or muzzle.

Police walked the neighborhood in search of the owner and found an open yard gate on nearby Amherst. Shortly thereafter, officers received a call from animal control saying the dog had died in the back of the pickup en route to quarantine. Glime, 28, has taken issue with the restraints used on the dog. The Rottweiler's body was taken to a clinic near Lansing to determine the cause of death, police said. The department is subpoenaing the records.

In the meantime, Glime, 28, has been issued three misdemeanor violations: for having an unlicensed animal, letting the Rottweiler stray and having the oversized sign in his yard.

An arraignment was waived. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference in 46th District Court on Aug. 14.

The family has declined to comment.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...364/1003/METRO

[Cortonk6802]

How awful! What a beautiful dog - looked so sweet. The poor thing - why on earth would they tape his mouth shut? 6 shots from a tazer? This dog did not deserve that. These people had no clue how to calm a dog down and it ended in tragedy and cost this poor dog his life. The owner is to blame as well - how did he get out?? Poor Rottie.... :-(