Police Officers Shooting Dogs

There have been an alarming number of incidents involving police officers shooting dogs. According to the law, police officers are told to shoot any dog that they deem is a threat. Obviously, what constitutes a threat is wide open for interpretation. I read a story recently about the police raiding the wrong house, then shooting the two family dogs, that was actually running the opposite way. The police officers know they probably won't get in any serious trouble, because other police officers and even judges will not want to go against them. That's just how it works, unfortunately. There was a story about police shooting a Jack Russell Terrier during a search warrant, that posed no threat to them at all. A police officer shot a dog at a park in front of children, just for jumping up. The dog was not aggressive, he was just untrained and got excited. This kind of cruel brutality cannot be accepted in a civilized society, and taking a life, even a dog should only be a last resort. Police officers have shot dogs that are tied up, and have no way of even getting to them. Of course, the police review board somehow always deems that the shootings are appropriate. There are thousands of cases like this, here are some that have been more high profile:

Texas: May 2008 – Austin police shot a dog at a local park, in front of children. The dog had jumped up on city employee but did not intend aggression, according to the dog's owner.

D.C.: May 2008 – An officer chasing a criminal suspect ran past a home and shot a family's dog tethered and secured behind a fence.

Louisiana: April 2008 – New Orleans police responding to a tripped burglar alarm shot and killed a family's dog who was restrained on the family's back porch. The dog had reportedly had recent surgery and was, according to the family's veterinarian, unable to lunge forward or pose a threat to the officer.

Tennessee: December 2007 – Nashville police entered a family's yard responding to a silent burglar alarm and shot the family's dog, who was tethered.

Minnesota: September 2007 - A Garrison toddler watched from the front deck of his house as a Crow Wing Sheriff's deputy shot and killed his family's dog. The deputy had mistaken the family's car, parked in their driveway, for a vehicle used in an armed robbery.
HSUS

If you are incapable of doing your job without killing people's pets, protect and serve the public by finding a new job!