Are police trigger happy when it comes too pets/dogs?

Question

Why don't they just use a taser on a dog instead of a Gun.
Are police that sadistic.
I saw this dog get shot on the news and it really upset me.
It was a pit bull /cross that attacked someone (most likely a provoked attack)Police responded and the dog approached not lunged at officer and he unloaded his weapon.
Thank god he is under investigation.....After the Complaints from Bystanders.

I think this cop enjoyed it.(Sick)
They should have a Strict Policy to use a taser instead of a gun on Animals.
Or if cops are too stupid to handle it any other way then a gun, let the experts(animal control) handle it instead.

What do you think?

Answer 1

A dog, especially a dog known for violence, is a deadly threat, and should be treated as such. The officer had to make a split second decision, and I think it was correct.

Shooting a moving target with a taser is not easy. If he missed, the dog could have done severe damage before he had a chance to reload the taser.

Even if he hit it, the dog would have ran after wards, and would have still been at large. Now it would likely be even more dangerous, due to the reaction from the taser.

Answer 2

Letting any dog roam free is against the law to begin with. If the animal had already attacked another person, the dog is now considered a threat, and can be shot by an officer, if the officer feels the dog is a threat to himself or others. Moral of the story, keep your dog resttrained, and you wont have to worry about it. On a side note, not all officers are issues a taser, and hitting a moving target would be very difficult.

Answer 3

our department does not carry tasers, and yes in my time at this office there has been three dogs shot. two were large dogs and very aggressive. of those two one had bitten a child, when the officer got on scene the dog came after him and almost had his arm and the other had rabies. there was also a smaller dog that got shot only because it was hit by a car and was barely breathing and suffering. animal control had made it there but said there was nothing they could do but transport it to the nearest vet to be put down but that was 30 mins away and felt the best thing for it was to end its suffering. the homeowner was there and agreed with the officers decision, but still it was very sad.

Answer 4

I think tasers are a less than lethal force option, while a charging 150+ pound dog charging me and my partner ready to kill is a deadly force situation. Using a taser is hard on a moving target, and even after you hit the dog, it may keep charging.

Again, as with non compliant suspects, people should not have dogs that charge around town attacking people.

Answer 5

Some time ago a neighbor called the police because the front door of a good friend's house was cracked open. They came and another neighbor heard them talking. The one cop said when I go in I'm shooting that shepherd. He had seen it through a front window. My friend's dog was a very young German Shepherd. He shot the dog from the door when the dog was under the kitchen table on the far side of the room. The dog did not approach the cop. My friend tried to get something going because of the brutality of the shooting and the witness but it never went anywhere. I also understand a lot of dogs were shot during and after Katrina. Did you see the writing on the one wall of that building. It said please don't shoot my dog. All the dogs in there had been shot. I think that some cops become cops because of the power that the uniform gives them and despite the uniform they remain the puny humans they have always been while other cops are stand up kind of people and do a great job. It's the rotten ones that spoil the barrel.

Answer 6

Wait a minute, I saw that news too, first of all, the dog attacked an innocent man, disabling the poor man, and when the detectives heard the man screaming, they approach to help and the dog turn to attacked one of the officers, leaving them with no choice, they had to shoot the dog. And no, police are not trigger happy.

Answer 7

My Department's Policy allows me to shoot a dog that is a threat to me or others.

A violent dog that has already attacked another person is a very real threat. If the officer felt he/she was in danger then they are allowed to shoot the dog.

Many states have laws that allow private citizens to shoot dogs that pose a risk.

Post a link to this video you mentioned.

Answer 8

You're assuming a great deal for someone who, more than likely, has ABSOLUTELY NO experience on which to base your opinion. If you're an expert in the apprehension of vicious animals, without resorting to violence, perhaps you should volunteer to handle all of the vicious animal complaints in your city.

Answer 9

Nope. I think if you can't control your dog, regardless of whether or not the dog has charged them or bitten one of them, which is an automatic shoot the thing....if you are ordered to control the dog and you don't or can't...bang, bang. Not all police even carry tasers, let alone bring them out for your animal! If you don't care enough about your dog to control it, it's your fault it's dead. Tough! (And I wasn't even talking about pit bulls, those are automatic shoots.)

Answer 10

Yes. And most cops became cops because they wanted the government's blessing to beat up and (with luck) kill people.

But in this case, they are right. A cop shouldn't need to have his forearm reassembled with microsurgery because some idiot can't control a dog trained to fight and bite, and not let go.

And to the person below talking about 150 pound dogs, that size dog is extremely rare.