Austin Police shoot man's dog (Howe, Point: crime, felony, closing)

[owlman]

Sad indeed.

Originally Posted by sxrckr

Yes, the poor dog was shot right in front of its owner, in their own backyard!

Didn't it go down in the driveway?

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by owlman

Sad indeed.
Didn't it go down in the driveway?

Yes, according to the news coverage, the dog's owner was in the backyard playing with Cisco when he heard the police car pull up, sirens blaring, and walked out into the driveway, leaving the gate open.

Unfortunately that was a critical mistake, because when Cisco followed him out into the driveway, not on a leash, he was no longer under his owner's control. And by APD rules of engagement, the officer was justified in using deadly force to deal with a perceived threat by an uncontrolled animal.

It's heart breaking, yes.

[love roses]

I know how sad that can be. When I was a kid, our German Shepherd got loose and raided our neighbors trash. The neighbor shot and killed him....our neighbor was a game warden.

[ScoPro]

APD officers should take training from US postal workers on how to deal with dogs in the yards.

This officer was too quick to use his handgun instead of reaching for his pepper spray.

I say that with two nephews who currently are street cops - one in Kerrville, the other in Dallas. Both have pepper sprayed dogs more than once.

[tfresca]

This is such a non-story. I know this is Austin and all but this guy was just doing his job the dog charged him and he shot the dog. Shame for the owner but a simple apology should suffice. This didn't deserve non-stop news coverage and analysis. I wouldn't blame the cop.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

I knew Mikey and his dog, and Cisco was one of the most loyal and well-behaved dogs I've ever met. He was great around other animals and people of all ages, and was just doing what any other dog would have done if a large, loud intruder entered his yard brandishing a gun and threatening his owner.

The cop just yelled at Mike to grab Cisco and shot him instantaneously. And then yelled at Mike asking why he didnt grab the dog?? Then he lied to his superior on tape when he said he checked door to door first. We don't need someone like this "protecting and serving."

This is exactly what I heard every time I listened to the tape. The cop yelling and the gun going off pretty much simultaneously.

I'm sorry, but APD rules or not, that's not the kind of reaction we need in our police officers. What if it had not been a dog that scared him?

[ScoPro]

Yeah, what if a mean lookin' midget had run up to him?

[tfresca]

I don't wish anybody's dog harm but there's such a sense of entitlement in Austin with dog owners. I have the right to not have your dog run on me and bare his teeth. We just lost a cop who was going out of his way to be "sensitive" and got shot for his troubles. People saying the cop needs training, well the dog needed training too. I've been charged and bitten by people's dogs, dogs do bite sometimes.

[OpenD]

Like I said, it is a very complex situation, not easily judged.

Today it came out that earlier the dog had been previously been reported to Animal Control twice for aggressive behavior.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/a...animal-control

[Nighthawks11]

Hey guys, first I appreciate how reasonable you all are. I'm an active member on a couple of other community forums and most of them have gotten pretty nasty. It's also gotten a little ugly with nasty phone calls and threats. I worked that area for some time and I am familiar with the officer. He isn't an unreasonable or violent guy. For any of you who know cattle dogs (I have border collies myself) you know that they are crazy fast. You also know that for a 45 pound animal they can hold their own when it comes to livestock. It happened fast due to the events unfolding fast. They do that sometimes. Before the officer could get a sentence out the dog came into view and was charging at him fast. When peppers spraying is an option that gets used. There were conflicting orders given but listen, he was giving those orders as the event was unfolding and it was even happening faster than he could talk. Pretend you are in that situation and pretend you are holstering a firearm and then unsnapping and unholsterig your peppers spray. Can you do it from the time the dog was heard until the shot happened when the animal got close? Try that same action under stress. Pretend there is an aggressive animal bearing down on you very quickly. You also don't know that you were given the wrong address and that the person you detained isn't your suspect. When doing nothing to an animal is an option that is preferred. When the dog arrives the first thing the officer processes is for the dog to be restrained, not killed. This was unfortunate all the way around and I hate that this happened to this man and his animal.