Police officer shoots man's dog - update!

http://www.kmvt.com/news/latest/Filer-Police-Officer-Shoots-Local-Mans-Dog-244823291.html

Not really sure what to think of it, to be honest. If the dog was aggressive and posed a serious risk to the officer, then okay. However, I can also see the point of the owner, considering that there were children close by. Of course, the dogs should have been contained as well.

What do you think?

Wow. I don't know how aggressive the dog was being, but to shoot it whilst there's a children's party going on is dangerous to say the least!

Personally I think he should have got back in his car & radioed for back up, although the owner should be able to keep his dogs confined so that they're not a public nuisance.

Same here. I don't think he has a hope in Hell of suing the officer, though, so he should let that bit go.

Very sad.

The black dog was just roaming, and the policeman approached it . It's hard to see how aggressive the dog was to him but the man immediately unleashed a huge kick at the dog. And then shot him.

Personally, I think it was disgraceful.

I've only just watched the video. The black dog was actually looking friendly & wagging its tail until the officer kicked it. Then it was just barking at him.

There was no need to shoot the poor thing - no need at all.  

Huh, I hadn't noticed a video! I thought it was just a picture.

Having watched that, I feel terrible for the poor man and the dog who was shot! That dog was not being aggressive at all!

I was giving the policeman the benefit of the doubt as there was no soundtrack to tell if the black dog was barking, but it did look to me that the man waded in with his feet and when the dog reacted predictably to being attacked (and it was a huge kick) the dog was promptly shot.

I'm just glad that in the UK our police don't go round habitually armed with guns.

Can only agree with the video that dog was running up tail wagging to say hello and then didnt like being kicked , maybe someone should treat the copper the same and shoot him when he reacts to being kicked the pratt    

If it's anything like over here, the poor owner won't have a hope in hell of suing the officer.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/02/policemen-who-shoot-dogs/283764/

Quote from the officer who shot the dog:

"I get out to talk to the people, two dogs come around me, one of them's growling and snarling. I kick it. It comes back around, now it's growling and snarling. I kick it again. Then it lunges at me, I'm like, [F***] you. So, I just shot it."

The dog in the video did not show any hints of aggression until the officer kicked him, at which point the dog barked and danced around a bit. I'm actually getting fed up with reading about law enforcers shooting dogs at the first sign of raised hackles - obviously it's a minority of officers, as most of them are decent people - including dogs that have been tied up or behind gates.

I watched the video, and you could clearly see that the black dog was submissive & wagging its tail until the officer kicked him! After that, the dog was barking, but NOT snarling. The officer is just trying to cover his a**! Horrible man!

Personally, I feel that they should receive more training in relation to dogs. Sooner or later, every officer is likely to come across a dog protecting its garden and house.

Yes. Totally agree.

But from what I could see on that video, the officer just doesn't like dogs & had made up his mind before he even got there that the dogs would be dangerous.

Poor, poor dog.

He said in the article that he was bitten before by a dog. Weak excuse, in my opinion.

Hmmm. I've been bitten 3 times. Do I go round shooting dogs?

Exactly.

Give someone an instant solution to their problem and they'll use it.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Lynda. I don't think a gun should ever be something you feel 'comfortable' with firing at somebody - human or animal. And yet certain people seem to use it as a solve-all.

"The right to bear arms" has created more problems than it has solved.

LyndaW wrote:Give someone an instant solution to their problem and they'll use it.

That's so true.

LyndaW wrote:"The right to bear arms" has created more problems than it has solved.

And thank god it hasn't come to the UK!