neighbors dogs just finished peeing on my lawn. i rent. i open door & my am. bulldog runs after her dog. my dog bites her dogs ear & wont let go. neighbor & i try to get dog to release. my dog has never shown aggression b4. 10 police arrive w/in 10 min. w/ 5 hand guns & one rifle drawn yelling at me to let go of dog so they can shoot w/ "bean bag", i put my body btwn guns and dog, pleading & crying for them not to shoot. they shoot 2x point blank in chest while he is in my arms. i'm tackled to ground, thrown on cruiser, arrested for obstruction, spend 19hr in jail, give consent for dogs treatment 2 seperate times, but dog is never treated b/c vet working w/ cops want $ upfront but i'm in jail, i arrive 20 hrs after incident to vet to find "dog just died". i have been fined by city, county, & state. i even had warrent issued b/c "paperwork mistake". i lost my friend. my lawyer said cops were doing their job. how do i get her to really work for me? should i get another lawyer who will?
2006-10-09 17:49:48 · 14 answers · asked by calmingbluesky 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
ooohhh, im sorry your dog died...
but i don't have any advice, sorry...again.
2006-10-09 17:53:34 · answer #1 · answered by The Riddler 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all if you could have controlled your dog this would never have happened. Second, yes, police are right to shoot a dog that won't quit attacking another dog or person. Did they shoot with the bean bags or with bullets. You were also properly arrested for obstruction of governmental order when you refused to obey the order from the police to move. Maybe if you had moved none of this would have happened. By holding the dog you made it necessary for them to shoot your dog in the chest/abdomen area which is more dangerous than the flank, which is where they normally would use the bean bags. It hurts, but does not cause damage to major organs at a hit in the chest/abdomen area would. It also tells that you did not take your dog to a vet regularly, otherwise the dog would have been taken to that vet instead of one on contract with the police. I am sure your own vet would have done the work first if he was made aware of the circumstances and you were a good customer who always paid the bill. Listen to your lawyer, you have no standing to sue, you are the one who caused all these occurrences.
2006-10-09 18:33:51 · answer #2 · answered by Jim T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd give a nickle to know what really happened here. For starters, no cop is gonna shoot a dog while someone's holding it. Too much danger of shooting the human. End of cop's career. And they all like their jobs. Cops aren't gonna start blazing away at two dogs fighting. I'm guessing at least two things happened here: you took a swing at a cop - huge no-no - and your dog decided to let go of the neighbor dog's extremity and snack on a police officer. Fatal mistake. As far as lawyers go, the smart ones take only cases which they have a good chance of winning. This is called building a practice because you'll tell all your friends what a great lawyer she is. The crooked lawyers will take any case, just to get your bread. And after you give them all your money, then, and only then will they tell you, sorry, you don't have a leg to stand on. Move on. Go to the pound and save a dog's life and buy a strong leash.
2006-10-09 18:17:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry for your loss. however Your lawyer is correct any other good lawyer will most likely tell you the same thing yours did. Since your dog would not let go of the other dog and was probably seen as a threat, the police were legally required to do whatever was the most effective method of ending the situation. It is unfortunate that your arrest ( probably also correct going by your description) prevented you from paying the vet and seeing to the dogs care and possibly saving its' life.
My dog was almost shot because he was preventing the police from coming into my back yard to search fo evidence that had been thrown over my fence ( I was able to corral the dog).
People are required to maintain control of our dogs at all times in most areas police are authorized to shoot out of control dogs if they cannot be restrained.
2006-10-09 18:36:35 · answer #4 · answered by skygreen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sounds horrific! I am sorry about the dog.
Your lawyer may be telling you that according to the law, the police were in the right OR the lawyer sucks & get a new one. I don't know your local laws. Try talking to the humane society. They generally know the laws regarding animals and they aren't run by the government.
You can always get a second opinion from a different attorney. Has there been any press about this incident? You should talk to your local paper, etc.
2006-10-09 18:03:18 · answer #5 · answered by Susan M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am sorry to hear about your dog, however, your lawyer is probably saving you from an expensive waste of time. She is simply being honest with you as to what her opinion is regarding any chance you have of winning this case. Slim to none I would think. You think that the police are the "bad guys", but why wasn't your dog on a leash?, why were you not able to restrain your dog?, what was your attitude to the police? Hey..I am a HUGE animal lover, but I think this one is totally your fault, not your dog's fault. You need to accept responsibilty for this and stop blaming other people for our mistakes. Simply training your dog to listen to you would have prevented that, or a leash. Sorry, but it's time to look in the mirror and put the blame on the person looking back at you.
2006-10-09 17:57:06 · answer #6 · answered by Goddess Kitty 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have her explain the legal reasoning for her opinion to you. If you don't agree or like her answer, get a new lawyer. You probably do need a new lawyer if you aren't working well together. You don't sound comfortable with her or as if you trust her judgment.
2006-10-09 17:59:43 · answer #7 · answered by papershadows 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitley sounds like some procedural error (on police part), i would seek different counsel. Make sure to get copy of police report.
2006-10-09 18:52:57 · answer #8 · answered by D06 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
now, I see where both parties are coming from...
They were wrong in shooting your dog, however, you dog should not have attacked anyone/anything.
I would find a new lawyer because obviously he/she is not doing what you are paying him or her to do.
2006-10-09 18:00:22 · answer #9 · answered by CaLiFoRnIa_PaGeAnT_GiRl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heck lady I would have shot your dog if he was going after my dog. Next time get a better breed!
2006-10-09 18:11:56 · answer #10 · answered by Hetty 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
She/he works for you
2006-10-09 17:51:33 · answer #11 · answered by Re Fined 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋