Attempted doggycide in New York City

As if writing about these incidents wasn’t draining enough, today’s report comes in video form. Watch what happens when police officers from New York City’s East Village react to a dog running around with a wagging tail, trying to protect its passed-out owner on a public sidewalk before dozens of onlookers [warning: graphic video; not for sensitive stomachs]:

Sorry, but I’m not transcribing that. There’s no need to, anyway; the shooting itself occurs during the first ten seconds of the video, and the rest is the dog squirming and howling in pain while the cops call for backup and try to appease the shocked and outraged crowd – all the while leaving the poor pooch lying there without assistance. (There are reports that the dog was pepper-sprayed, but I can’t find it in the video.)

If this isn’t a perfect example proving right the critics who call for better police training in dealing with animals and restraining their level of force, I don’t know what is. Anyone, cop or otherwise, who believes that the appropriate manner for dealing with a ten-pound animal, whose biggest threat is brushing their pant-leg with its wagging tail, is to start shooting at it is not someone who should ever be allowed within the vicinity of a firearm.

Star recuperating

Thankfully, we do have some good news about the outcome. Contrary to some claims (such as in the above video’s description) that the pooch had died, it turns out that Star the pitbull survived the ordeal and is now recuperating:

Star miraculously survived the point-blank shot, and has been at Animal Care & Control since, but her status has been unknown—until now. This morning Richard Gentles told us that Star "is improving, [but] she's still resting and not up for visitors at this time."

Gentles tells us Star was officially released to Animal Care & Control yesterday at 8 p.m. "Her owner had until that day and time to reclaim her but since he didn’t ownership was legally transferred to AC&C." Until last night, the AC&C couldn’t provide information because of this, but now that she has been released to them, they are free to place her and disclose her status.

Better yet, all her medical bills (totaling nearly $10,000) will be paid via donations through the AC&C’s coincidentally named Special Treatment and Recovery (or STAR). It’s too bad that nothing more is known about the owner (who some believed was seizing during the shooting) and that he apparently won’t regain custody of his loyal companion, but the hope is that Star will end up in a loving home all the same.

(via @radleybalko)

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Doggycide Bingo Index

Confirmed hits:

Attempted doggycide

Cops shot first

Playfulness mistaken for aggression

Star was protecting fallen owner

Shooting in proximity to dozens of bystanders

Bystanders outraged as dog didn’t attack

Star shot for being protective (not attacking)

Total: 6/25
Half-points for being defensive towards cops (who weren’t actually intruding) and for being shot for being protective (without growling). No bingo.

Tags: Star the pitbull • East Village, NYC • NYPD • Animal Care & Control • • Special Treatment and Recovery