This Week in Puppycide: 07/29/17 – The first of far too many

Kicking off the new weekly feature, because there’re too many to blog about individually.

• Houston, TX (July 20): Officer enters backyard without notice or apparent cause, shoots & kills defensive family dog … then cites owners for not immediately producing ownership and rabies records.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Alliance, OH (July 21): Patrolling cop flagged to deal with three loose dogs, approaches them, gets chased by one dog whilst a second seemingly tries to distract the first. Cop ends up shooting the attacking dog dead after it tries to bite him. I’d prefer if he’d tried non-lethal means (baton, spray, Taser, etc.) first. He didn’t seem to have much of a plan in approaching the dogs, either.
  (via Puppycide Database Project | Facebook)

• Yorkville, IL (July 21): Loose husky wanders into off-duty cop’s yard during kid’s birthday party, reportedly “growling and showing its teeth”; cop tries to grab it, gets bitten. Off-duty corrections officer shoots dog in head. Owner cited with three violations.
  (via Puppycide Database Project | Facebook)

• Ocoee, FL (July 22): Cops arrive to warn homeowner about his unmoored boat, officer immediately shoots and kills aging family dog Duke as he approaches them. No indication of aggression; few details yet known.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• AVERTED in Denison, TX (July 22): Cops respond to dog attack, remove animal non-lethally. No shots fired, no-one needlessly endangered. More like this, please.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Southhaven, MS (July 23): Police responding to assault go to wrong address, kill “charging” pit bull, then kill startled owner. DA says he was armed; defense lawyer says he wasn’t.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Greenville, SC (July 24): Deputies serving a search warrant at neighboring home shoot & kill Chico the pit bull who was “running in her yard”. Cops say the dog was “aggressive” and “came charging at them”. Owner says dog was being friendly, and after being shot once, tried to run away before being shot several times more.
  (via Puppycide Database Project | Facebook)

• Fort St. John, BC, CA (July 24): Cops try to separate two fighting dogs, end up shooting one dead. No indication that any non-lethal methods (OC spray, taser, etc.) were attempted.
  (via Dogs Shot by Canadian Police | Facebook)

• Complicated, possibly justified case Lisbon, ME (July 25): Officer on a wellbeing check sees allegedly aggressive dog at door being held back by owner, pushes his way inside. Dog bites him several times whilst he supposedly tries to reach for non-lethal weapons (OC spray or taser), but ends up shooting Nike the Rhodesian ridgeback, who later dies. Owner was previously charged in another aggression incident a week previously.
  (via Puppycide Database Project | Facebook)

• Possibly justified in Healdton, OK (July 25): Officer responds to call about loose pit bulls, tries using his taser and alerting the owners (who weren’t home), finally shoots one; the other runs off. Injured dog will be put down. It’s the sixth time police had to respond to that address.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Anniston, AL (July 25): Police respond to call about neighbor’s dog escaping its electric-fenced yard, shoot & kill Otis the bloodhound after he supposedly “lunged”. Cops already call shooting justified and blame the family, who weren’t home.
  (via Puppycide Database Project | Facebook)

• FOLLOW-UP to last week’s Wichita, KS shooting: Police chief maintains shooting was justified, but offers to pay for slain dog’s burial and buys family a new puppy. Still more accountability than we see in most dog-shooting incidents.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• FOLLOW-UP to last week’s Missouri City, TX shooting: Cop who entered yard unannounced and immediately shot dead Chapo the pit bull – who bodycam footage clearly shows was curious and nonaggressive – is deemed justified. I wonder why they even pretended to investigate the shooting.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you hear of any police-related pet shootings I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.