Keeping Your Dog Safe from Law Enforcement - Page 1

case a couple of weeks (which I will have to try to find link) LEO raided the wrong address, guy is outside washing car, they shoot his Aussie right off the bat.

I know they are sometimes in tough situations, but some of this stuff is insanity.

Austin TX, cops went to wrong address and killed a man's Austrailian Cattle dog. Very sad.

I can't imagine what they must be going through!  
A while back, I had fallen in my apartment.  I instruct my GSD, Brijett, to "go get my phone", which she did.  I called my daughter to see if she was close (only lives 10 min from me) and could come get me to take me to ER. She wasn't and promptly had my other daughter call 911 while on the phone with me.  I pleaded with them not to because of the dog.  When the dispatcher called me, I informed her over and over again that I had the dog.  Asked if they could send a K-9 officer out to enter first and help me secure my dog because I could not move.  I was in tears, pleading with her, to NOT have them shot my dog!!!  They did send a K-9 officer out, he was the first to enter, spoke to her in German (which is what she's trained in), I kept telling her it's ok..he's a friend, she barked at him a few times while standing over me, then went right up to him, sniffed him and the tail started wagging.....I told him her Kennel was in my room at the end of the hall, gave her the command to go, and she followed him down the hall. 
I'm very thankful, because I know this could of been a very different situations had I gotten someone who did not understand this breed or know what he was doing.   While I understand LE's need to protect themselves...they also need to understand our needs to do the same! :)

Chrissy

According to our forum resident LEO's, it's such a rare occurance that it hardly merits attention.

What might be the definition of rare? Dogs are property, they are not life. Its policy to just shoot and claim a life threat. With that as pervasive policy, hardly is just not accurate. Lets not brush stuff under the rug because its uncomfortable. There is a problem, and theres no easy solution.

I expect the flipants here and elsewhere to still be flipant if its your dog lying dead if this happens to you. No big deal, its hardly an occurance. 

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately.  It seems to me that a couple of things are at play here.  I think many young folks under 35 today simply didn't have ANY experience with dogs in thier childhood and naturaly this large pool of people eventually starts to show up in many parts of society in large numbers.  Its my personal opinion that fear of dogs or lack of experience with dogs, should instantly disqualify someone from becoming a LEO.  LEO's are going to encounter dogs, period, its almost like a short stint in animal control right after graduating the academy should be required for any LEO to get his badge.  The second issue is that I truly believe some departments are telling LEO's "off the record" to shoot dogs in certain situations.  I can't prove it, but its happening so frequently as of late that "lack of experience with dogs" can't soley explain this increasing phenomenon .  I do wonder if anyone has compiled data from departments all over the country.  I'd bet my house that officers shooting dogs is the highest its ever been.

I stand corrected, that is an easy start to a better situation for our pets. 

a short stint in animal control right after graduating the academy should be required

Animal control runs into alot more terrifying Australian Shepherds with less instance of shots fired. Over simplfied, I admit.  Im sure this might get poo-pooed,  but your right on target here. Animal control gets a helping hand for a brief stint, and the boots on the ground get a chance to make another decision when appropriate, besides killing a piece of property.

 

If we had stats I believe canine officers would have a much lower instance of shooting pets.

Knowledge and experience.  

 

As LadyWolf noted above it does get done right often. That was a good example of service work. One we will never read in a newspaper. Dispatch & Officer does excellent job, wont sell like officer shoots.

Great idea MomosGarage!

 

I don't think it is a great idea. Not everyone is an animal person and to force them into "Animal Control" as the proper instruction on how to deal with a possible dog threat makes no sense to me, and shouldn't be a pre-requisite for all LEO's. 

And while momosgarage is certainly entitled to her opinion, I feel it is chock full of wild speculation.

IMO The more we fight it, and I do .. the worse it becomes. It's going to happen and it's going to get way worse. You need to protect yourself and property NOW before it happens to one of us and our family pets. It's only a matter of time if these jack booted thugs can run the streets hop into yards and kill on site anything they damn well choose claiming clear and present dangers.

Example: Get your Home, Farm and/or Property Insurance Company to qualify all your property as a "qualified immunity enity with affirmative defense" .. meaning that any killer (in my case also predator because my dog is concidered predator control dog on my Farm and Land Insurance) acting under a valid warrant or valid government interest, will be moot and void -- and
you do not need to plead facts in defense of your property, land and home via your Fourth Amendment and Tenth Amendment rights in a Court of Law.

In other words, there is no claim or immunity that exists other than your own. 

DO IT NOW !! It only costs about 13% more per year !!!