Policeman shoots barking dog in US

[Michelle Melsom]

I think a lot of cops in the states are becoming gun happy I hear so much about stuff like this and like this

Maybe it's a result of having to deal with so many crazy people?

[Dunc]

What would you have done ????????

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[Michelle Melsom]

What would you have done ????????

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If it has to be shot it should be shot once in the head fast and painless. Obviously it would be put down anyways but that dog was attacking him some of these other dogs Ive read about were just barking and the cop has over reacted :/

[Dunc]

the cop has over reacted :/

How do you know this is where I have the problem with this sort of thing

[Michelle Melsom]

How do you know this is where I have the problem with this sort of thing

I guess I don't but with being around people a lot and looking at the world today I can say most people over react about a lot of things

[frankmayfield]

If it has to be shot it should be shot once in the head fast and painless. Obviously it would be put down anyways but that dog was attacking him some of these other dogs Ive read about were just barking and the cop has over reacted :/

One shot to the head would not have been practical in this situation because the dog's face was attached to the man. They did the right thing in the right way.

[Michelle Melsom]

One shot to the head would not have been practical in this situation because the dog's face was attached to the man. They did the right thing in the right way.

I didn't say in that particular situation but your right in that one it would have been hard

[Removed #5]

In the situation that you posted [MENTION=7]Dunc[/MENTION], I have to agree that shooting it was probably the right call.

I have to feel that there's a difference between a dog who's being protective and one who's being aggressive.

My thoughts are that had the cop in the original post backed off there would have been no need to shoot the dog, once the threat (as perceived by the dog) was removed, I think he'd have moved back to protect his fallen owner.

The dog in your post not only did not allow the officer to back off but continued to attack - though my original thought when I saw the pic was to wonder what it was that provoked the aggressive behavior. ( and yes, I know that some dogs are just aggressive in some situations! )

I think we'd all like to feel that we can colour these situations in black and white - but it's obvious that we can't - the person who is there has to make what they see as the "best" call given how they see the situation. We can't read the dogs mind and even those who think they can best "predict" an animals behaviour aren't always right.

I'd like to think that with better training, the officer in the original post would have realized that shooting the dog wasn't necessary; but I also have to accept that he felt he was being attacked and took the measures he thought best. Though, I think, shooting a gun in downtown NYC is a pretty irresponsible act to begin with, it would have been all too easy for a ricochet to have struck one of the many bystanders and resulted in a much worse situation.

[frankmayfield]

In the situation that you posted @Dunc, I have to agree that shooting it was probably the right call.

I have to feel that there's a difference between a dog who's being protective and one who's being aggressive.

My thoughts are that had the cop in the original post backed off there would have been no need to shoot the dog, once the threat (as perceived by the dog) was removed, I think he'd have moved back to protect his fallen owner.

The dog in your post not only did not allow the officer to back off but continued to attack - though my original thought when I saw the pic was to wonder what it was that provoked the aggressive behavior. ( and yes, I know that some dogs are just aggressive in some situations! )

I think we'd all like to feel that we can colour these situations in black and white - but it's obvious that we can't - the person who is there has to make what they see as the "best" call given how they see the situation. We can't read the dogs mind and even those who think they can best "predict" an animals behaviour aren't always right.

I'd like to think that with better training, the officer in the original post would have realized that shooting the dog wasn't necessary; but I also have to accept that he felt he was being attacked and took the measures he thought best. Though, I think, shooting a gun in downtown NYC is a pretty irresponsible act to begin with, it would have been all too easy for a ricochet to have struck one of the many bystanders and resulted in a much worse situation.

I think that I agree with every point that you made there Al.