This one’s all over and lots of folks have commented on it.
Ok, I’ve read several blog posts on this, most are disgusted at the shooting of another dog, at a wrong address on top of things. I did run across one blog, by a cop I believe though I don’t read there often, who kept insisting that the officer has the right to defend himself from an attacking dog and thats what this is so you all shut up. Don’t have a link, if you all recognize this let me know and I’ll link, oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious I’m paraphrasing based on my faulty memory, cause I don’t have the link.
First off, the cop pulled his gun LONG before he saw a person on the property, I get that this is a DD call, which can potentially turn violent, but really? Cops go to all DD calls with their guns drawn?? How are they NOT shooting more innocent bystanders??
Second, the audio from his car video clearly states that he gave the home-owner conflicting instructions: first “put your hands up” then “get your dog”. So basically the guy has a fraction of a second to decide which order to get shot for. Personally I’d have been already grabbing my dog regardless of the “put your hands up” order, but then, considering the size and looks of Apollo I suspect he’d have already been shot before I could react anyway.
Third, everyone defending the cop keeps saying the dog was “running towards him and thats aggressive behavior”. Except you know what?? ITS NOT. Any dog, friendly or otherwise, who is allowed loose run on their owners property is going to run towards the “new guy” who just set foot on their property. There’s two reasons for this, one: the dog wants to get a better “look” at the new guy, and for dogs that means “smell” and two: pretty much every halfway friendly family dog I’ve ever met has been inadvertently trained to “run up to say hi” to the person who just entered the property. Think I’m nuts? Think about it, your dog comes running towards you when you get home what do you do? You pet him, and tell him he’s a good boy and how happy you are to see him. Bet lots of your friends and family do the same thing. Presto, you’ve just trained your dog in “aggressive behavior” thats going to get him shot by the cop who accidentally walked on your property cause they have the wrong address.
If you are so afraid of dogs that you’re going to shoot the family pet for running towards you to say “hi” or, if you are so unfamiliar with canine body language that you cannot distinguish between the family dog running to say “hi” and the aggressive guard dog who’s carefully approaching while trying to warn you off, then you need to give up your badge and gun and go retire somewhere that won’t allow dogs near you.