Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Dog Shooting

There are some times when an officer may actually have to shoot a dog.  A dog that has gotten loose and has attacked and injured people is a good example.  Some dogs have owners who don't care for the dog, they only have the dog for illegal or immoral purposes.  Often these dogs are trained specifically to attack, frequently because they are used in dog fighting or to protect an owners drug business.

Most officers have never been trained in how to shoot a dog.  Shooting a dog with a Taser or a gun can be a problem because dogs are usually much smaller and shorter than a person.  Dogs also have a horizontal rather than vertical aspect ratio.  Because of their shape, dogs are hard to hit with the Taser, the Taser is designed for vertical humans.

Dogs also move quickly so it's hard to hit a dog with a gunshot.  Ideally, the officer should employ his shotgun to insure a quick death for the dog.  A handgun may not kill a dog right away.  If the dog is severely wounded the officer should be able to deliver a second shot to kill it, but not all agencies will permit that, and it may be dangerous to bystanders.  All dog shootings should be carefully investigated and an improper shooting should result in disciplinary action; that's what the SGT Says.

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