Doggycide: Michigan cops shoot & kill innocent dog

Terry Boyle

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Police respond to a call for a dog on the loose, instead end up opening fire on it until it dies:

Terry Boyle, of Birmingham, said four police officers shot and killed his 5-year-old dog, Buddy, Saturday night. Boyle said he rushed home to hear the horrifying news from neighbors who said they witnessed police officers shoot his dog four times.

"From what I have been told he was not aggressive at all and he tried to get away from officers when all four approached him at the same time," said Boyle.

According to police reports, officers have responded to the home on Bowers Street four times in the past two years -- including once because Buddy had gotten into a fight with a neighbor's dog, and another time because Buddy was on the loose.

This time, police said the dog was off his owner's property and on the attack when shots were fired.

However, neighbors said Buddy was a nice dog that did not cause trouble. Witnesses said that on Saturday night Buddy was on the front porch when officers arrived. When officers approached him, he ran to the side of the house, where he was shot twice, witnesses said.

"A witness saw my dog moving," Boyle said. "He lifted his head and was trying to move still. (Police) put the noose around him and dragged him a couple of feet and then shot him twice more."

Also as per usual, the cops’ testimony of the dog being aggressive and dangerous is contradicted by neighbors saying that Buddy was a peaceful animal who was cornered and slaughtered. Then again, it might be understandable that these officers failed to respond appropriately, given that they couldn’t even identify the animal halfway competently:

Police said officers were responding to a complaint that Buddy, in particular, was out on the loose. Police also said Buddy was a Rottweiler mix. Boyle said Buddy was a rescued dog, and if anything he was a Labrador-shepherd mix, not Rottweiler.

Not only are they apparently incapable of telling apart a dark-coated animal from a golden-furred one, but they also feel the need to excuse their killing of an animal that never fought back, or even displayed any signs of aggression, based solely on the dog’s breed.

Doggycidal cops do seem to encompass both incompetence and laziness with frightening regularity.

(via The Agitator)

Tags: Birmingham, MI • Terry Boyle