Question:
http://www.daily-journal.com/content/?id=34016
I think the off-duty officer could have done something else other than shoot the dog. I'm not saying the dog owner is innocent because the dog did get outside by accident but the police officer and his wife were also out looking for their dog who got outside by accident.
I guess the size of the German Sheppard was enough to terrify the police officer and his wife? I really think using his gun should have been the last resort, sounds a little too trigger-happy for a police officer.
The lunging described sounds like what Keesha does when she meets new people, she bounds over and bounces around, but then again, she's only a little dog. They didn't mention whether the dog was snarling or growling, just lunging.


Answer:
I think that he may have overreacted. Firsty, he shot the dog in the back of the neck...that sounds like a shoot-to-kill shot if you ask me. He obviously has good aim (being a cop and being able to hit a small target like the neck) so he could have shot the dog in the hind end. I think that the officer should at least apologize and pay for the vet bills.


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The article said that the cop said the dog was lunging at him and his wife. Maybe it's just me....but wouldn't it be pretty hard to shoot the dog in the back of the neck if it's lunging at you? I think he over reacted. Poor dog


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i think the cop had big gun syndrome...............whats a cop doing anyways ............off duty and carrying a gun????????????????????
is it the same here in canada? off duty officers are allowed to carry guns?
yieks...............i must remember never to pi.. off an off duty officer


Answer:
Just posting this article in case the link gets archived. Also the censored word is D-a-g-o, the dog's name.
Officer's shooting of dog over-reaction, owner claims
Lee Provost , The Daily Journal
September 15, 2003
Dago rose to his paws and slowly limped to the front porch steps. He lifted his front paws to the first step.
If the 4-year-old German shepherd had any intention of getting to the top of that porch, it wasn't going to be by his efforts.
Not since the night of Sept. 4.
On that date, the 95-pound dog was shot in the back of its neck by an off-duty Kankakee police officer who believed the dog was about to attack him and his wife as they walked along the 1100 block of South Ninth Avenue in Kankakee.
The incident is now being investigated by city inspector Ray Benn. The dog's owner, David Acevedo, has filed a citizen's complaint over Officer Jeff Martin's actions.
The single shot fired from the .9 mm handgun struck the dog's third vertebra and has left the animal with little use of its right front leg.
Acevedo, 33, a Reed-Custer High School history and Spanish teacher, believes the officer over-reacted to a situation and that there were many other alternative ways of handling the situation.
"The cop's reaction should have been one of last resort,'' Acevedo said on a warm late summer Saturday afternoon. "I would have understood if the dog had bitten or attacked them. I just think the man jumped the gun -- literally.''
Off-duty police are permitted to carry a weapon and Police Chief Mike Kinkade said it's a common practice. He added the shooting was within the department's rules and regulations.
"If an officer is in fear for himself or others, he can take steps to stop an attack. The officer and his wife felt the dog was about to attack them,'' Kinkade said.
The dog was said to be lunging toward the couple. The dog was dropped about three feet from the pair when it was shot.
The owner admits the dog should never have been outside unattended. He said the dog got out when the back door was opened. Coincidentally, Kinkade said the officer and his wife were out looking for their dog that had gotten out of their back yard.
"You can ask anyone if this is an aggressive dog. He has never done anything like that,'' Acevedo said.
After initially being treated for the wound at the VCA Aroma Park Animal Hospital, the dog was taken to the University of Illinois' veterinary clinic in Champaign. The dog returned home Friday, but treatment has thus far totaled about $2,500, Acevedo said.
"At the very least I would like an apology from the department. I think they could also help with some of these vet bills,'' he said.
Beyond the medical bills, Acevedo said, his concern is for the cop's willingness to pull out a weapon and fire it in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
That action has Matt Grant, Acevedo's next-door neighbor, questioning the officer's action.
"I had a daughter doing homework in a room with a window not that far away. If that bullet missed the dog and ricocheted (off the sidewalk), it could have gone in my house. Our windows were all opened,'' he said.
"The officer's first instinct should not be to pull out his weapon. He could have kicked the dog or whatever, but not pull out a pistol. That was totally uncalled for.''
Heidi, I guess cops are supposed to have enough training to KNOW when the situation calls for gunfire and I don't think this situation called for it at all. I don't know if off-duty cops get to carry guns here, I'll ask the next one I see, hehe


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I fixed the censor. I have no clue what some of the words included on the censor mean.


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I was wondering what kind of swear 'dago' was Maybe it's in another language?


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He could have shot the dog in the leg or hindquarter. They do not shoot people to kill (a shot to the neck is to kill, even if it did not) at first. That is last resort. Stop first, then hurt, then maim, and kill only if needed.
I mean, I can understand somewhat. If the dog was truly lunging at me, I might shoot first, think later.


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I'd venture to say that most people do not understand the body language of dogs which results in these misunderstandings where either the dog or the person ends up on the losing end.


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That is true. I use body language to communicate with my dog. I have done that with several dogs. It works much better than yelling or any other type of punishment. Talking to them in "their own language" gets to their heads much faster.