On this blog, we have long lamented police officers whose sole tool in the toolbox when encountering a dog is GUN. We’ve seen dogs shot while restrained on chokepoles, while locked inside animal shelter cages, while chained in their own yards, and while fearfully cowering in the bushes after fleeing police. The shootings are typically explained away as the officers being afraid for their lives and/or protecting the public, the police department investigates itself, and Bob’s your uncle – no wrongdoing found. But this is a first – and not in a good way.
Last week, a CA deputy was so eager to shoot a dog who barked at him as he approached the dog’s fenced yard, he drew his gun and forgot to aim at the dog, shooting himself in the leg. The deputy was apparently attempting to serve an eviction notice AT THE WRONG HOUSE in Riverside Co when the resident pet barked at the officer. (Note for any I-just-like-to-shoot-pets police officers who may be reading: Barking is the thing that dogs do when strangers approach their home. It’s one of the primary reasons people have dogs.)
The sheriff’s office said the dog was a giant mass of seething hate who intended to eat the officer for an afternoon snack. In order to save his own life, the officer was forced to draw his weapon and fire. The deputy shot himself in the leg and was taken to the hospital for treatment of “non-life threatening injuries”.
But when a local TV news crew arrived on the scene, they found a medium sized dog named Precious playing with his kids inside their fenced yard. They filmed Precious shuffling about the place, tail wagging, tongue lolling out like a goofball. In the video, he looks as if he’s already had his afternoon snack but wouldn’t turn down a Happy Meal.
The sheriff’s office has an explanation for the discrepancy: The sound of gunfire transformed Precious from an eat, swim, make little sharks eating machine to an ambling BFF. Talk about your Magic Bullet Theory.
Precious was not taken into custody by the pound. No word on whether the sheriff’s office ever figured out the right house to serve the eviction notice. Or anything else.
(Thanks to everyone who sent me this story.)
Don’t expect any sympathy from mr for the officer.
This story just made my day…
Thanks
It seems like the majority of the time, the police are at the wrong house. Nice to see karma in action.
Sounds like a typical Deputy “Barney Fife” moment. Dumbass should not be allowed to carry a badge, let alone a gun.
Will they use this as an opportunity for more training? Probably not.
I’m very glad that this didn’t end in tragedy, as so many of these stories do. I just wish that police departments would start to realize that dog/cop relations are a problem and they need to do something with the cops’ perception of dogs.
WOOF!! I’m so so happy to read this!! It’s about time to see a little KARMA come around! These idiots have gotten way too trigger happy with people’s pets anyway. I’m GLAD he shot himself.. he deserved it! I hope it hurt and I hope he bled profusely!! Yes I am mad at them. They have no reason to just go up and shoot a dog because he/she is barking at them. I read the other day where a deputy shot a yellow lab tied on a run in a fenced in yard.. and again, it was the WRONG HOUSE.. and the poor dog was TIED! and to a run at that. The owner at least wanted the dog safe, so he fixed it so he/she could get some exercise while it was out. It was a house dog but tended to be an escape artist when left in the fenced in yard alone.. But the officer still had no right to shoot the dog. The officer hadn’t even entered the fence when he shot the dog! I have no sympathy whatsoever for these idiots that are given a badge, a gun and the right to shoot anything that walks, speaks or barks… I feel it is time these police departments are made to be double sure they have the correct address before even entering a yard, and they should be made to leave people’s pets alone. If they are attacked, this is a different story, but just because the dog barks… happens to slip out the door when someone answers, (another shoot the dog, then ask questions story where this dog was a helper dog of a veteran with PTSD and just wanted to go outside. The man was yelling at the officer “Please don’t shoot my dog! He’s my helper dog!!” The officer sure payed attention didn’t he). They need to be trained NOT to shoot unless they are in danger of being killed themselves. I always thought they were trained to do this anyway? Just look at the HUMANS they have shot and killed that were UNarmed and in no danger whatsoever but still get away with it . NOTHING at all done to them. Every policeman/woman should be made to pass a physical and written test on this whole matter since it seems they have gotten to where they leave that part off the test now.. I know it used to be on it. Scenarios of things coming at them quickly and have to make a decision on what or whom to shoot.. like a thug with a gun or a lady with a baby carriage. Most used to fail the first time around. It’s time they should have to take a similar test every six months if this kind of thing keeps happening.. it makes me sick to my stomach. It’s just real good to hear this news. GOOD news for a change. Thank you so much for making my day!!
Sometimes karma is a b*tch and you gotta love it when it happens. But, seems like I read stories like this ALL THE TIME now with no repercussions to the quick draw who shooots first and ask questions… well, never.
I imagine the only thing that will force any kind of change are very public and expensive lawsuits.
Yes!!!! The dumbass So deserved it! I hope he’s stuck on desk duty for a long time!
The police have lost all respect of the American Public! They’re to proud of the power they get from the badge and constantly abuse it by shooting innocent pets and pushing their weight around!
I have been horrified for a long time now at the number of dogs that are killed by law enforcement officers with little reason to do so. The fact that a dog barks and defends his own yard does not mean he is dangerous. The fact that the agencies defend all cops that kill dogs without actually looking into whether it was justified or not is sickening. All the shooter has to do is say he was afraid for his life and it’s a done deal! No wrong doing here!
It should be a given that all officers are trained to read a dog’s body language and use common sense. It should not be an excuse to say that policy was followed or that the excuse that any officer feared for his life to absolve that officer from wrong doing in the killing of a pet. If that is the case then said officer should find another line of work. \\
There are so many other fields of workers that go into yards without killing dogs. There is no reason that officers should not accomplish the same.
It’s a shame the officer’s injury was non life threatening. These troglodytes need to be removed from the gene pool.
Glad the dog wasn’t shot. As for the officer, well, hope he learned a valuable lesson – what comes around, goes around. Drawing a gun and shooting should be the very last thing they do with a BARKING IN HIS OWN YARD DOG!
That pup looks like he might lick you to death, but a mass of seething hate? REALLY?
At least it’s a good ending for the dog and family, and so glad to see more attention paid to this in mainstream media!
It’s bad enough that some police officers seem to simply like to shoot dogs, there have been a lot of unarmed people shot as well. And many of these at wrong address raids.
There is such a lack of accountability anymore that it’s really frustrating and frightening.
Hmm…the dog probably got a laugh out of it. Why are officers so swift to pull guns these days?
If people who have had their dogs shot would only sue the police depts into oblivion- maybe they would think about retraining or removing the losers.
Is the cop STUPID or what?