ABQ police shoot a dog for looking at them while the police are trespassing and a Denver couple is hauled to jail for failing to answer their door at 8 AM on a Saturday. The Albuquerque police get an anonymous call and... "A police sergeant on the scene says police truly feared someone was being held hostage and believed the officer acted appropriately with the information they had; the officer felt threatened and shot the dog." They shot the dog through a side door, shooting into a mobile home where a child was present and it was the child's dog. The dog was rushed to the veterinarian who demanded a deposit before starting work! Police "feel" bad but justified! Anonymous call, on arrival they find the side door open and a dog casually approaches the door. Yeah, thinking it's a "hostage situation" is still the "reasonable response" rather than reevaluating. The officer "felt threatened"? SERIOUSLY? I'm really getting the impression that law enforcement officers are COMPLETE wimps who shouldn't be allowed near dangerous weapons!
The dog will lose a leg. "The [police] sergeant then rushed to the vet to tell staffers to start working on the animal and the city would pay for everything." I get it. Vets don't work for free but still... There's got to be a better way than this. What if the officer hadn't done this? We know the answer, don't we? I wish the veterinarian had been named because I sure wouldn't want to continue using his/her services.
No photo of the dog but toward the end of the print story they say "pit bull". Yeah, AND? WTF? I'm so tired of police officers shooting first, hurting and killing dogs, and then basically saying "pit bull, deserved to be shot".
In Denver, a couple trying to have a pleasant Saturday morning declines to answer their door. It is the dog catcher and he's not taking no for an answer. He beats on the door and then calls for police backup. The officer makes an unwarranted search and seizure to arrest the couple and deliberately and intentionally embarrass them. He manhandles the wife who is OBVIOUSLY pregnant. "The couple was charged with interference and disturbing the peace." All this when it was a ticket/citation that could have been mailed to the couple.
The charges have been dropped. Questions: Why aren't the animal control and police officers named in the story? HAVE THEY BEEN CHARGED WITH THE MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS THEY COMMITTED?
That official immunity enjoyed by government officials is NOT intended to be a blanket free pass!!!
The third story is about a mail carrier who got bitten. They are very careful not to show the yard but it does appear all the front yards are fenced and the dog has merely been quarantined so I have to seriously wonder if the dog did anything wrong. Mail carriers shouldn't get bitten but they also shouldn't go where they don't belong and I've seen too many who think they can go anywhere they like. This story comes from Milwaukee, WI, and I'd guess the only reason this dog wasn't shot is because of the flack they've gotten about shooting Terry Cullen's Mastiff's for no decent reason.
The thing with mail carriers is that there are other options for mail delivery and they are NEVER required to go into yards that may have dogs in them so, if the dogs are behind a fence, I just don't have much sympathy for the mail carrier or the postal office that doesn't exercise the other options!
According to the reporter, animal control advised to RESTRAIN DOGS WITH CHAINS to prevent accidents like this one. "Animal Control officials suggest a few things to make things safer for postal workers who encounter pets. Put up a sign to let visitors know if there's a dog on the property. Make sure the dog is properly restrained by a secured chain or a leash. Lastly, make sure your porch is in good repair so animals can't hide under them." I had to watch the video twice and read the story before I could believe what I was hearing and seeing. Animal control is advising chain restraints and deprivation of shade. WTF???
Yeah, sure, uh huh, WHATEVER. Do these things and the next thing you know "code enforcement" will be showing up to seize your animals for cruel confinement and deprivation of shelter. No doubt they will call for police backup if you fail to answer your door!
And on the "bad owner" side, we appear to have a dog owner who put their dog out with the trash, literally. I will come running to your defense for just about any way you end up disposing of a dead pet because that can be a difficult issue. HOWEVER, if you put a live dog in the trash, I'll be in the lynch mob that wants to take you to the back 40! I really hope this story isn't true.
A dog is seriously injured, the owner allows the dog to suffer for weeks, then it is wire crated in its puppy crate (into which it barely fits), and the crate is set beside the curb with the trash (covered to make it less noticeable and without food or even water). Those are the allegations. I can even make the argument that perhaps legally this owner has every right to do as they please with their property but this incident extends well into the public purview and, dude, even I want to lynch you!
I'm not sure this is the kind of case the law should deal with but it's certainly the type of incident that would be dealt with less officially in the small town where I grew up. Yeah, it's assault if a group beats the crap out of the owner. It's also the kind of case where jury nullification comes into play and appropriately so if you ask me. The law can't solve everything but there are some workarounds that we've forgotten or become too wimpy to use.
It's a lovely day, isn't it?