This Week in Puppycide #44

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Unjustified | Arlington, TX (05/04/18): Loose dogs call leads to a cop gunning down a German shepherd that witnesses say was friendly. This is the officer’s third dog-related shooting, and he’s already been exonerated in the last two cases.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Royal Palm Beach, FL (06/03/18): Police responding to a call about a sick person at a gas station end up trying to arrest him, and shoot his “pitbull” dead when it tries to defend its owner.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Strong City, KS (06/04/18): Family’s pit bull mix escapes its yard and is shot dead by a responding sheriff’s officer who claims it attacked him, though witnesses dispute his account. The dog’s body is then left at the city dump for the owner to find.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

This Week in Puppycide #43

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Unclear | Ocklawaha, FL (05/23/18): Deputy serving a warrant at a home is approached and then repeatedly bit on the legs by three dogs, which run off after he fires his weapon. It’s unclear whether he fired to scare the dogs away or whether he tried to shoot one and missed.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Hutto, TX (05/26/18): Police respond to a call about aggressive dogs and shoot one dead. No nonlethal tools were used; it’s unclear why they didn’t think to bring dog-catching equipment on a loose-dog call.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted, Unclear | Chicago, IL (05/31/18): Low-information police report states an officer conducting an arrest was allegedly attacked and bit by a dog, which the officer then shot. The dog survives. Nothing else is known, including whether less-than-lethal equipment was used.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

This Week in Puppycide #42

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Unjustified | Oklahoma City, OK (05/20/18): Officer responding to a domestic dispute is allegedly attacked by the family’s “large pit bull” until other officers shoot it dead. The owner says her dog wasn’t vicious, and there were no prior complaints against the animal, which likely responded to a perceived intruder on its property. No attempt were made with nonlethal equipment.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Oklahoma City, OK (05/22/18): Undercover officers serving a drug warrant are allegedly attacked by a “120 lb. pitbull” that they say tried to bite two of them; one cop shoots the dog three times, killing it. No less-than-lethal equipment was utilized.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted | San Jose, CA (05/23/18): Officers responding to disturbance call are allegedly charged by three dogs; two cops open fire, striking one dog in the paw. Animal control later checks on the dogs; the wounded dog’s owner takes it to the vet’s and it’s expected to recover. No less-than-lethal equipment utilized.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Austin, MN (05/24/18): Three dogs escape their yard and allegedly bite a neighbor. Responding deputy shoots and kills two of them, claiming they attacked him and that their proximity made it impossible to use his taser. Owners question why the trained officer of the law didn’t attempt another nonlethal response.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

This Week in Puppycide #41

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Averted | St. George, UT (05/03/18): Police responding to a domestic disturbance call get attacked by a dog, which is tased and later captured by animal control.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted | Woodville, FL (05/15/18): Deputy making a house call shoots a family pit bull that he claims bit and lunged at him; the owner, who witnessed the incident, said her dog isn’t aggressive and never made contact with him. No nonlethal weapon or deterrent is used. The dog awaits surgery for its wounded leg.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

Daily Links #125: Oklahoma bans same-sex adoption

• Oklahoma officially allows religious adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex parents. It’s the Christian way.

• The fallout from SESTA/FOSTA continues: Cops realize it’s making their jobs harder, whilst sex traffickers are having a field day. It’s not like anyone predicted this would happen or anything …

• PZ Myers says all I have to say on the “Intellectual Dark Web” of regressives who whinge about how they can’t spout bigotry and play footsie with fascists without suffering social consequences.

• Andrew Shirvell, who rose to fame as the homophobic former Michigan Assistant Attorney General who obsessively harassed a gay college student, has been permanently disbarred.
  (via Joe.My.God.)

• Finally: in Creativitas news, I’ve recently revised and updated three of my orchestral songs, “Inhuman Suite”, “Setting Out” and “Softer Dreams”. I plan to revisit some of my older songs – some of which I haven’t touched in the better part of a decade, back when I was just starting to write music – and give them the overhaul they deserve, so stay tuned.

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

This Week in Puppycide #40

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Unclear | Kewanee, IL (05/05/18): Loose dog complaint leads to officer shooting the “pit bull breed” dead after it allegedly attacked him. Police chief claims the shooting was justified and that witnesses confirmed the dog was aggressive, though without any direct statements from those witnesses, it comes down to whether you trust his account.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted Possibly Justified | Greenville County, SC (05/05/18): Deputy responds to false domestic disturbance complaint and is attacked by three dogs that the owner supposedly sets on him deliberately; he shoots and injures one, another is captured by animal control, and the third runs away.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Justified | Oklahoma City, OK (05/05/18): Police shoot & kill four pit bulls that escaped their yard and mauled a woman so badly her arm had to be amputated. At least one dog kept trying to attack even after it was shot.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Washington, D.C. (05/11/18): Police executing search warrant shoot the family’s pit bull inside its own home. No indication in the report whether the dog was the least bit aggressive. In return, cops claim they found bits of paper with “suspected synthetic marijuana”.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Newark, DE (05/11/18): Police responding to report about two loose dogs try to capture them for 90 minutes, then decide to ram both dogs with their cars before finally shooting one, a pit bull, dead; the other, a German shepherd, runs off. Cops claim the dogs were aggressive and possibly rabid, but witnesses say the dogs were approachable, and one had nearly leashed one dog when she was threatened with arrest unless she stopped.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

Illinois police’s dog-killing argument against legalizing pot

Illinois police have a novel threat against legalizing pot:

The training director of a police K-9 academy in Illinois claims that if the state legalizes recreational marijuana, it will likely have to euthanize "a number" of its pot-sniffing dogs, The Pantagraph reports.

My thought is that it would give them a break from killing civilian dogs. But then, all dogs should be kept safe from the police.

(via @radleybalko)

This Week in Puppycide #39

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Unjustified | St. Louis, MO (04/28/18): “Three officers were injured, a suspect was shocked with a Taser and police shot and killed a dog in the chaos after officers were called to break up a fight Saturday afternoon.” No nonlethal alternatives used.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Averted | Texarkana, TX (04/29/18): Officer responds to a call about a loose “vicious” pit bull, instead finds a friendly dog relaxing on a porch, takes it into his vehicle without issue. “[Y]ou shouldn’t automatically assume that all pit bulls are bad dogs. They might be really loving like this guy was this morning.”
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Loudon County, TN (04/29/18): Police serving warrant at a property shoot and kill the neighbor’s dog when it allegedly attacks them, claiming the collar broke. Dashcam video is blurry and inconclusive. No nonlethal equipment was used.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unclear | Chicago, IL (04/30/18): Police respond to call about two “pit bulls” attacking an elderly woman; one dog attacks the police and gets shot. Both dogs are captured by animal control; their status is unknown.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted, Possibly Justified | Puyallup, WA (05/02/18): Deputy shoots a “pit bull” after it attacks and badly injures a man, possibly in defense after mistaking a playful argument for a fight. Witnesses tried repeatedly to force the dog away, but it continued biting until it was shot. Report claims the dog is being treated; another report says it died.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

This Week in Puppycide #38

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

Well, the recent headline. And it wasn’t a shooting, mercifully.

• Averted | Ambridge, PA (04/04/18): Police responding to a call about a loose dog that bit someone attempt to use a stun gun and a beanbag shotgun rounds to subdue the “pit bull”. The owner eventually captures the dog and agrees to have it euthanized, and now faces charges over the attack.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

Daily Links #122: Utah police kill unarmed Black man

Elijah James Smith

• Whatever else Elijah James Smith ^[pictured] may have done, the fact remains that Utah police shot an unarmed Black man dead for obeying their order to remove his hands from his pockets.
  (via @radleybalko)

• Free speech advocates warned FOSTA/SESTA would stifle free speech online. Now that the bills are law, they’re … stifling free speech online.

• Meanwhile, the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality rules comes into effect today. Any changes will be gradual, and that’s if the multifaceted efforts to restore the old rules on state and federal levels don’t succeed first.

• Actual religious persecution: Russian government continues its crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses, forcing thousands to flee abroad or go into hiding.

• A Minnesota court just ruled that basically everyone on Twitter is now a stalker.
  (via @ScottGreenfield)

• Finally, James Comey’s new book is exactly what you expect from the memoir of the former director of the FBI. That’s not a compliment.
  (via @cjciaramella; retweet by @Popehat)

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

This Week in Puppycide #37

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Averted | Indianapolis, IN (04/16/18): Police use a taser to subdue a stray dog that attacked a young girl and an officer without further bloodshed. Textbook police response, more like it please.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Prichard, AL (04/19/18): State trooper pursuing a suspect is attacked and bitten by the suspect’s “pit bull”, which he promptly shoots dead. Funny; if the suspect had bitten him, the trooper would likely have used his club, mace, or martial training to subdue him rather than kill him immediately.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.

This Week in Puppycide #36

Here’s a roundup of recent headlines of police shootings involving pets and other animals.

• Possibly Justified | Saskatoon, SK, CA (04/05/18): Police respond to a call about an aggressive dog, find a brown mastiff allegedly attacking several people inside a home, and unsuccessfully try to stop the dog with a taser before shooting it dead. No further information is available.
  (via Dogs Shot by Canadian Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Heavener, OK (04/07/18): Police responding to a report about loose aggressive dogs find two pit bulls and shoot both, injuring one and killing the other. The latter dog is left to bleed for half an hour before an officer finally execute it. Witness reports are conflicting; one says the dogs killed her cat and were dangerous, whilst others, along with the owners, say the dogs weren’t aggressive. The cops didn’t attempt to use nonlethal means.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Possibly Justified | Carbondale, PA (04/09/18): Police respond to call about a loose pit bull that mauled another dog, use bean bag rounds and a stun gun until it flees. Same dog is later found allegedly charging a group of children, at which point the cops shoot it dead.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Possibly Justified | Boston, MA (04/11/18): Police at a crime scene shoot a loose “pit bull ‘type’” dog that bit someone and allegedly attacked them. The owner later has the dog euthanized when she cannot afford vet care.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Unjustified | Plattsburgh, NY (04/12/18): Officer responds to call about a “dangerous stray dog” in someone’s yard, spends two hours trying to contact animal control groups (who aren’t available) and locate the owner (who can’t be found), then shoots the dog dead. Neighbors said the dog “seemed somewhat aggressive towards men”, but it was being petted by a woman the whole time. One witness says the dog was just “confused” and possibly thought the neighbor’s house was his home.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

• Attempted | Gulfport, MS (04/13/18): Man calls an ambulance for his unconscious mother. Police consider the call “suspicious” and rush into the home, ignoring “beware of dog” sign, and immediately shoot his pet several times in the head even as he was running after it to restrain it. Dog survives but may lose an eye. Police say it’s the owner’s fault and that he’ll pay the vet bill.
  (via Dogs Shot by Police | Facebook)

If you know of any similar stories I haven’t mentioned, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

Not sure what those colored labels mean? See my puppycide ruling explainer.