# Dog shot in Salt Lake City by Police Officer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001 "2014-06-30T13:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/1 "2014-06-30T13:47:16Z")
[http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58118281-78/officer-dog-kendall-police.html.csp](http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58118281-78/officer-dog-kendall-police.html.csp) A few days ago in Salt Lake City a dog was shot while an officer was looking for a “lost child”. The officer unlatched a gated yard where a dog was penned and when the dog approached him “aggressively” he shot the dog. He did not have a warrant to be on the property. There is an accompanying video of the owner confronting the police officers that remained on the scene. He berated them for the incident and was understandable shaken. He asked a very simple question: “Why couldn’t you back off?” Incidents like this make me so upset because some people just don’t understand or care that there are people who value their pets as family. I feel as though in the officer’s mind he shot a malfunctioning lawn mower. He is ignoring all the time this poor man must have spent with this dog. The times he was beaten down, frustrated and out-of-luck and the dog lifted his spirits. Did the officer care about any of that? And even if he didn’t…why are we giving such trigger-happy people the authority to carry out the law? I know police officers are fallible…I’m not naive. But at what point did the officer consider his options? I have to give Sean Kendall a hand because I might have lost my temper if I came home to find my dog dead. I hate to get graphic…but just imagine. You put your dog up “safe” for the day inside. You try to be a responsible owner. Then someone goes out of their way to cause you grief, and now you have to clean your dog’s brains off the back lawn. The back lawn the two of you probably used to play on. Ugh ---
**Author:** ![steadierfooting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@steadierfooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steadierfooting)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/2 "2014-06-30T16:55:07Z")
Police officer will get off the hook quickly with, “i considered my life in danger and didn’t hesitate to use the force I felt appropriate.” I would have assumed there’s some protocol in this situation when investigating a house or property when there is a dog on the premise (like calling animal control?) I guess it’s a possibility the dog was hidden away, he walked onto the property and was caught off guard. I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum as you when it comes to animals. When I see on the news that a highway was shut down for hours as police/animal control try to chase after a dog I get frustrated that they didn’t just shoot the dog and not lose millions of dollars in the economy by things not being delivered, people late for work, etc. I am not a pet owner, and never will be, I just find the whole custom odd. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/3 "2014-06-30T18:05:38Z")
> [@steadierfooting](#): > > When I see on the news that a highway was shut down for hours as police/animal control try to chase after a dog I get frustrated that they didn’t just shoot the dog and not lose millions of dollars in the economy by things not being delivered, people late for work, etc. I’ve never in my life heard of a freeway being shut down so cops could chase a stray dog. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/4 "2014-06-30T18:07:36Z")
It seems to me that dogs are friendly to us because they were instrumental in society at some point. We cannot just turn our backs on them now that they aren’t “convenient” or useful. But I can understand why you wouldn’t want them personally. And from a property standpoint…don’t you feel a little outrage there? The cop went onto this guy’s property without a warrant and then damaged his property. I really think they should fire the cop over this, and I’d especially like to see that he never works with a gun again. Ideally he wouldn’t even be allowed to carry a lethal weapon anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/5 "2014-06-30T18:15:40Z")
> [@steadierfooting](#): > > I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum as you when it comes to animals. When I see on the news that a highway was shut down for hours as police/animal control try to chase after a dog I get frustrated that they didn’t just shoot the dog and not lose millions of dollars in the economy by things not being delivered, people late for work, etc. I am not a pet owner, and never will be, I just find the whole custom odd. Even if you’re not an animal lover, taking the story at face value, there’s a number of other ways the officer could have approached the situation. He could have used non-lethal force, he could have called for backup or gotten animal control on the scene. Even if the dog was aggressive, which is reasonably likely given that he was entering the property, it just makes me question that much more why he’d think a kid might have gotten into the yard without letting the dog out and not been attacked by the dog, and why his first response is to discharge a firearm, which runs the risk of collateral damage. It seems to me that the pet owner has a legitimate gripe, it’s hard to say whether I’d think he should be fired, but certainly he should at least be disciplined and the station should compensate the owner, though I’m sure there will be arguments over what appropriate compensation for the dog is. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/6 "2014-06-30T18:22:29Z")
Did they find the lost child? Couldn’t tell from article. I cannot view the video (at work) ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/7 "2014-06-30T18:25:24Z")
Yes, Typo, sorry I meant to include that detail. It turns out the kid was at home sleeping. How you miss that and call the cops…:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/8 "2014-06-30T18:26:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’ve never in my life heard of a freeway being shut down so cops could chase a stray dog. [Now you have.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAPxjRjojZU) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/9 "2014-06-30T18:33:39Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > Yes, Typo, sorry I meant to include that detail. It turns out the kid was at home sleeping. How you miss that and call the cops…:mad: …and the cops didn’t search the house?? I was all ready to back the cops on this. Missing child vs not shooting dog…missing child wins. But if they didn’t…I mean…_JESUS_!!! How could you not search the house and the grounds FIRST before trotting off the the neighbor’s yard?? Fire the cop. Fire his partner too. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/10 "2014-06-30T18:34:54Z")
I’m generally not litigious, but holy crap would I try to sue the hell out of that police department/officer. That, or maybe get arrested for assaulting him. Doubt I could do both. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/11 "2014-06-30T18:35:32Z")
Why would anyone expect anything different from today’s police force. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/12 "2014-06-30T18:57:21Z")
Whether or not the officer felt his life was in danger is invalid, he was trespassing. He did not have a warrant, he did not have reasonable cause, so why did he not just go to the door and ask the homeowner if he could search the yard and give the homeowner the chance to contain the dog? And the fact that the kid was at home the entire time … I mean, WTF?! They didn’t even check there first? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/13 "2014-06-30T19:05:39Z")
From the SLCPD’s watch log: [http://slcpd.com/watch-log-wednesday-june-18-2014/](http://slcpd.com/watch-log-wednesday-june-18-2014/) > [@](#): > > The parents of a 3-year-old boy reported that he had wandered out of a door that had been left open and had been missing for a half-hour. Officers began a search once he was not found in the home. Another search by officers led to the discovery of the child, who was asleep in a concealed position the basement. Note to the parents: Lock the fucking basement door so your THREE-YEAR OLD CHILD doesn’t have access to all the toxic chemicals and power tools. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/14 "2014-06-30T19:27:12Z")
Cops shoot and kills dogs all the time. It’s almost SOP for cops to kill the dog (I know not really, but it happens enough to make it seem that way). If you kill a police dog - I think that carries the same penalties as if it were a human police officer. If they kill your dog, tough shit. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/15 "2014-06-30T19:34:30Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > And from a property standpoint…don’t you feel a little outrage there? The cop went onto this guy’s property without a warrant and then damaged his property. This (& unfortunately, in many places dogs are considered just that, property; as in they could give him another dog & call it even.) > [@SLTrib](#): > > The officer remains on duty while the police department conducts an internal investigation. Unless this is a poor sentence, he’s not even put on desk duty during the investigation? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/16 "2014-06-30T19:44:47Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Whether or not the officer felt his life was in danger is invalid, he was trespassing. He did not have a warrant, he did not have reasonable cause, so why did he not just go to the door and ask the homeowner if he could search the yard and give the homeowner the chance to contain the dog? The dog’s owner wasn’t home. He got a call at work saying that his dog was dead. And it didn’t say if anyone else was at home, but I don’t consider a dog left in the yard while his owner is absent to be “safe.” Anything can, and unfortunately did, happen to this dog and his owner. Now, I don’t know the circumstances, but when I leave the house, I leave the dog inside it. But I don’t leave him alone for eight hours, and he’s a pretty well-behaved dog. He’s calm, doesn’t chew things up, and doesn’t go to the bathroom inside. I know that when I come home, I won’t have to clean up after him. But I know that dogs and owners are different. Maybe he didn’t want to leave the dog inside for eight hours, in which case I can see giving the dog access to the yard. Still, I feel sorry for the owner for the loss of his dog. I can’t say he was negligent. I can’t say if the officer was justified in shooting the dog. I know it’s a sad situation all around and the dog and his owner are the victims. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/17 "2014-06-30T19:58:12Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > I’m generally not litigious, but holy crap would I try to sue the hell out of that police department/officer. That, or maybe get arrested for assaulting him. Doubt I could do both. I would. Initial response would be “Shoot the cop.” Followed by “Assault the cop.” Followed by (after getting bailed out of jail) “Sue the ass off the cop/department/city.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shot-in-salt-lake-city-by-police-officer/692001/18 "2014-06-30T20:49:53Z")
Meh. Cop shoots dog = not news Dog shoots cop = news