# Another dog gets shot by police **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 5, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028 "2012-12-05T02:30:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/1 "2012-12-05T02:30:08Z")
This happened Saturday the 1st of December. [Sorry it’s a local FOX link](http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20251373/chicago-cop-shoots-puppy-with-world-champion-lineage-exclusive), I wanted to give y’all the print and video version and the Trib website sucks. From the article: > [@](#): > > One eyewitness, Charlene Dezego, told FOX 32 News that she heard the officer warned Phillips about the dog being loose, but the officer never sounded like he was in danger. > > “All of sudden I heard him say, ‘get your dog,’ and then the next statement was ‘get your dog,’ and then he just pulled out his gun and shot twice,” says Dezengo. > > Read more: [FOX 32 Chicago | Local News, Weather, and Live Streams | WFLD](http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20251373/chicago-cop-shoots-puppy-with-world-champion-lineage-exclusive#ixzz2E8mTsxgZ) I met this dog. I don’t believe for a second that he showed even an iota of aggression toward this cop or gave any reason whatsoever for someone to feel even remotely threatened by this little guy. The only thing he did wrong was be off leash - no excuse to shoot him. I try to defend police for the most part, but this, this is one trigger-happy dude. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/2 "2012-12-05T15:28:56Z")
The best part is how the police came back three days later, asked the owners why they contacted the media, and then wrote them a ticket for the dog being off leash. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/3 "2012-12-06T00:54:25Z")
Yeah, love that. They picked on the wrong dog this time, though. It would seem, based on seeing the house in the video and knowing what neighborhood it’s in, these folks have the resources to take it as far through the court system as they possibly can. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/4 "2012-12-06T05:56:24Z")
Dogs get shot by cops at a rate of about 2-3 times per week in the US. If you really want to be constantly depressed and outraged, follow the “Mr Policeman please don’t shoot my dog” page on Facebook. These cops are a bunch of trigger happy thugs. I’ve lost all respect and trust I once had for them, following these stories. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/5 "2012-12-06T16:47:46Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Yeah, love that. They picked on the wrong dog this time, though. It would seem, based on seeing the house in the video and knowing what neighborhood it’s in, these folks have the resources to take it as far through the court system as they possibly can. Yeah, show dogs can run in the $1,000s. These guys have money. And this time for once, it’s not a “pit bull mix” like all the other dogs that get shot seem to be. It’s got a pedigree they can prove. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/6 "2012-12-06T17:54:33Z")
Have you not heard? All dogs are “pit-bull type” when police are involved. The War on Drugs, aside from being a War on Civil Liberties, is also a War on Dogs. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/7 "2012-12-06T18:20:56Z")
My neighbor is a cop, and he’s afraid of my dogs. Yes, I have several large dogs (doberman, 2 German shepherds, standard poodle, giant schnauzer and English setter), but they’re friendly and have come with me to their house several times. they’re good with his kids. He’s glad they’re there, protecting my farm and his, but he won’t come in my yard. His wife agreed to foster a lab for a week for a local rescue. It had to go to the vet’s office, and he didn’t want it even in the bed of his truck in a crate. He was going to hook up a trailer to take the dog to the vet. If a dog came at him, I have no doubt he’d shoot it. I think all cops should be required to undergo some training with dogs. StG ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/8 "2012-12-06T19:00:53Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Yeah, love that. They picked on the wrong dog this time, though. It would seem, based on seeing the house in the video and knowing what neighborhood it’s in, these folks have the resources to take it as far through the court system as they possibly can. A dog is property. They can only recover the replacement cost of the dog is. I don’t think anyone would be scared of their resources. I’m not particularly scared of dogs. But if one is coming at me aggressively I will shoot. Leash your dog. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/9 "2012-12-09T08:41:28Z")
Thanks for admitting you don’t use your gun as a last resort. There are several ways to deal with an aggressive dog that do not involve shooting them. You’re bragging about your own ignorance of the subject. And cops wonder why so many people don’t trust them. Shooting things because they look aggressive is not a reasonable reaction. And to think I normally think people care about their dogs too much. But your position is horribly unreasonable. I hope you don’t shoot someone’s dog who is just a bit paranoid and thinks you might come after them too. You were being aggressive, so, by your own logic, it would be okay. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/10 "2012-12-09T13:06:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Thanks for admitting you don’t use your gun as a last resort. There are several ways to deal with an aggressive dog that do not involve shooting them. You’re bragging about your own ignorance of the subject. > > And cops wonder why so many people don’t trust them. Shooting things because they look aggressive is not a reasonable reaction. > > And to think I normally think people care about their dogs too much. But your position is horribly unreasonable. I hope you don’t shoot someone’s dog who is just a bit paranoid and thinks you might come after them too. You were being aggressive, so, by your own logic, it would be okay. Do you ever get tired of your clucking schoolmarm act? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/11 "2012-12-09T14:48:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Do you ever get tired of your clucking schoolmarm act? Take it to the Pit, if you must…but keep personal attacks out of this forum. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/12 "2012-12-09T19:20:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A dog is property. They can only recover the replacement cost of the dog is. I don’t think anyone would be scared of their resources. > > I’m not particularly scared of dogs. But if one is coming at me aggressively I will shoot. Leash your dog. Not so fast. There are [many precedents of compensatory and punitive damages being awarded](http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ddus50statesurvey_companion_animals.htm). Some are still rather nominal, while others are fairly substantial. [In 2009, an award of $333,000 was given a family whose dog was shot by police in Chicago.](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-19/news/ct-met-police-shoot-dog-20110819_1_family-dog-damages-officers) [In a follow-up video](http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20258174/owners-of-prized-puppy-shot-by-chicago-cop-to-sue-cpd-first-on-fox) from FOX, you can see how the dog behaves while being held in an owner’s lap during the interview. He’s clearly not the happiest about being in her lap, and he’s clearly a nice dog while putting up with it anyway. Two witnesses have stepped forward saying the dog was not aggressive, there was no reason to pull and fire a gun on a busy street. The officer didn’t give the owner a chance to come around the other side of the car to even try to get the dog before shooting. The owner who was outside at the time is a 75-year-old man and he didn’t understand what the cop was saying at first because he doesn’t hear very well. He didn’t even comprehend what was going on at first because he didn’t realize the dog had followed him out of the gate and the dog had gone around the car out of his line of sight and into the officer’s. All the cop had to do was walk away. He just wanted to shoot something that day. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/13 "2012-12-09T19:30:40Z")
Not surprised that the dog was a bull terrier. People often assume that any dog that looks remotely likely a bully breed is a “pit bull” and assume it’s vicious. If it’s any consolation, here’s a positive story to balance out this one: [A cop called to pick up a “vicious dog” uses his common sense when he gets there, sees the dog is NOT threatening anyone despite being a ‘pit bull’, and ends up adopting the dog himself](http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/07/31/hero-baltimore-cop-saves-dog-gains-new-best-friend/). 🙂 I do think that it would be nice if the police were trained on things such as how to deal with strange dogs so that those who are afraid of dogs will hopefully learn how to assess the situation instead of just knee-jerk shooting the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/14 "2012-12-09T23:28:30Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Not so fast. There are [many precedents of compensatory and punitive damages being awarded](http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ddus50statesurvey_companion_animals.htm). Some are still rather nominal, while others are fairly substantial. [In 2009, an award of $333,000 was given a family whose dog was shot by police in Chicago.](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-19/news/ct-met-police-shoot-dog-20110819_1_family-dog-damages-officers) > > [In a follow-up video](http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20258174/owners-of-prized-puppy-shot-by-chicago-cop-to-sue-cpd-first-on-fox) from FOX, you can see how the dog behaves while being held in an owner’s lap during the interview. He’s clearly not the happiest about being in her lap, and he’s clearly a nice dog while putting up with it anyway. > > Two witnesses have stepped forward saying the dog was not aggressive, there was no reason to pull and fire a gun on a busy street. The officer didn’t give the owner a chance to come around the other side of the car to even try to get the dog before shooting. The owner who was outside at the time is a 75-year-old man and he didn’t understand what the cop was saying at first because he doesn’t hear very well. He didn’t even comprehend what was going on at first because he didn’t realize the dog had followed him out of the gate and the dog had gone around the car out of his line of sight and into the officer’s. > > All the cop had to do was walk away. He just wanted to shoot something that day. If you would read you own cite you would see that the vast majority of that large amount was not for the dog at all. Out of the $333,000, $2,000 was for the dog. I do know that in this state there are very tight restrictions on what can be awarded for the death of a dog. There was a recent case close by in which a dog was shot by a police officer and the family tried to sue for $5 million claiming it was a part of the family. The court told them they could attempt to sue for $500. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/15 "2012-12-10T03:31:37Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If you would read you own cite you would see that the vast majority of that large amount was not for the dog at all. Out of the $333,000, $2,000 was for the dog. Right. Because of course they would have been awarded the rest just the same if their dog hadn’t been shot and killed right in front of them. > [@Loach](#): > > I do know that in this state there are very tight restrictions on what can be awarded for the death of a dog. There was a recent case close by in which a dog was shot by a police officer and the family tried to sue for $5 million claiming it was a part of the family. The court told them they could attempt to sue for $500. That dog was being aggressive. Shooting a friendly puppy in the street is simply not okay. This Chicago cop needs some serious time off and a change to an unarmed desk job. If he needs to be out in the streets, well, he can direct traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/16 "2012-12-10T03:51:36Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Right. Because of course they would have been awarded the rest just the same if their dog hadn’t been shot and killed right in front of them. > . Yes they probably would. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/17 "2012-12-10T07:36:53Z")
These dogs are not being shot because they act agreessive, or even because they _might_ act aggressive. They’re being shot because it allows the cops to exert dominance over the humans on the scene. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/18 "2012-12-10T11:46:46Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Right. Because of course they would have been awarded the rest just the same if their dog hadn’t been shot and killed right in front of them. > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > Yes they probably would. I don’t see how. The death of the dog was the reason for the family to pursue the case. Just because the jury had to break it down differently due to limits of the law doesn’t mean the stem of the whole thing wasn’t based on the horror and trauma the boys went through. It’s cases [like this, awarding $620,000](http://www.wbaltv.com/Couple-Awarded-Damages-In-Shooting-Of-Dog/-/9380084/11027990/-/we2ols/-/index.html) (which I think may still be getting appealed, but the point has been made) that are changing precedents and calling police to task on split-second decisions to kill family pets unnecessarily. It’s slow, but it’s definitely progressing year by year and state by state, also as seen in another of my links above. Perhaps cases like these will start to incite more animal-handling training for police. It’s really not hard, with not much training, to be able to “read” a dog in an instant. I say this as a professional animal handler who has to assess every day whether a dog is going to try to bite me or not. This is why the shooting of the puppy in the OP is so infuriating to me - there was absolutely no excuse for the cop to draw his firearm on that little guy. A 15-minute ready-made training video may have prevented this. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/19 "2012-12-10T11:51:12Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > These dogs are not being shot because they act agreessive, or even because they _might_ act aggressive. They’re being shot because it allows the cops to exert dominance over the humans on the scene. And that’s the stuff they need to be called out on and sued their pants off. I’m generally not one to support sue-happy people, but this is the kind of thing that should not be gotten away with. And, in this case, that motivation still doesn’t make sense. This cop just basically shot some random dog walking down the street, it’s insane. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028/20 "2012-12-10T12:05:10Z")
Black dog I assume. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-gets-shot-by-police/643028.md?page=2)