police shoot dog
in the owner's fenced yard, with the dog chained to a pole.

Are you kidding me?

The owner was at fault here. This dog did not have to die. No dog should be chained for long periods of time, especially not working breeds with drive that can explode when they get frustrated. And when they are trapped and can be tormented by anyone.

Imagine someone tying you out and then having people throw cups, rocks sticks etc...at you, how are you going to react?

Then imagine having 3 or more strangers coming at you with poles and then using a tazer on you, again, how are you going to respond?

 Quote: Niomi Smith

Are you kidding me?

The owner was at fault here. This dog did not have to die. No dog should be chained for long periods of time, especially not working breeds with drive that can explode when they get frustrated. And when they are trapped and can be tormented by anyone.

Imagine someone tying you out and then having people throw cups, rocks sticks etc...at you, how are you going to react?

Then imagine having 3 or more strangers coming at you with poles and then using a tazer on you, again, how are you going to respond?

When the occasional poster defends chaining his/her dog in an accessible yard (even accessible only with some effort), I wish they would read this story. That poor dog. That owner should be prosecuted -- not the PD. JMO.

Tying out your dog like trapped bait -- what can they be thinking?

Thank God this is illegal in California, that does not mean it does not happen however :-(

I think it's wrong that the dog was chained in the yard while the owners were at work. If you see the fence, there's no way that that dog would've stayed inside the fence (only looked about 4ft high). Not saying that it's right for the dog to be chained, should have been crated inside the house away from people/kids trespassing and throwing stuff at the dog. The dog did act in a way to protect itself. What makes me mad, is that the cops not only tazed the dog, they then shot and killed it. It is sad, especially when neighbors (even the kid who got scratched/bit) wroote letters saying they saw the cops shoot the dog and that they didn't expect it to come to that. Doesn't help that the dog was a Pit Bull either.

IMO, the officers did have the right to protect themselves and the community from a vicious animal, but I think it's pretty sad that a dog had to be tazed and shot after kids were trespassing on the property antagonizing the dog. I can understand where the owner is coming from. He should have had a sign up saying "beware of dog" or "dog on premises"-I have the latter and if anyone disregards that sign, they were warned.

Doesn't the concept of private property matter anymore?

The dog was secured on private property. The kids trespassed by climbing over a fence and then were physically abusive to the chained dog. They got too close and one was bitten or scratched. It didn't break the skin.

The police arrive. The child was away from the dog and safe. The police then try to "capture" the chained dog using poles. They then proceed to tase and shoot the dog and have to unchain it to remove the body. Was a chained growing dog behind a fence on private property an emergency situation requiring deadly force? Maybe call animal control with a dart?

Are the kids going to be arrested for trespassing and animal cruelty? It is one thing if the dog escaped and bit someone, then shooting it may be necessary, but it was chained behind a fence.

While the owner could certainly made a mistake in the way he secured his dog, the whole concept of personal responsibility for the kids and the concept of private property seem to be missing from this equation.

Yeah, the owner should have a proper kennel and shouldn't chain the dog like that, but still the dog and owner didn't deserve this. Sorry, but IMO the police over-reacted because this was a pitbull.

 Quote: Mark Sheplak

Are the kids going to be arrested for trespassing and animal cruelty? It is one thing if the dog escaped and bit someone, then shooting it may be necessary, but it was chained behind a fence.
...
Sorry, but IMO the police over-reacted because this was a pitbull.

Ditto. I hate to see what is happening to our rights as dog owners in general, and pit owners in particular. Do you think the same thing would happen if this had been a Chihuahua or Jack Russel, even an Akita?

I agree with you Mark.

As for a "beware of dog" sign, Keleah; some judges take them as proof that you know your dogs are vicious. If anything ever happens, it could mean worse conseqnces for the dog/s. With other judges, it is taken as a benefit that you gave warning. But the former is more and more often the case. Especially if you have a dog of a breed or breed type considered dangerous by the uninformed.

 Quote: mark sheplak

Doesn't the concept of private property matter anymore?

The dog was secured on private property. The kids trespassed by climbing over a fence and then were physically abusive to the chained dog. They got too close and one was bitten or scratched. It didn't break the skin.

The police arrive. The child was away from the dog and safe. The police then try to "capture" the chained dog using poles. They then proceed to tase and shoot the dog and have to unchain it to remove the body. Was a chained growing dog behind a fence on private property an emergency situation requiring deadly force? Maybe call animal control with a dart?

Are the kids going to be arrested for trespassing and animal cruelty? It is one thing if the dog escaped and bit someone, then shooting it may be necessary, but it was chained behind a fence.

While the owner could certainly made a mistake in the way he secured his dog, the whole concept of personal responsibility for the kids and the concept of private property seem to be missing from this equation.

Yeah, the owner should have a proper kennel and shouldn't chain the dog like that, but still the dog and owner didn't deserve this. Sorry, but IMO the police over-reacted because this was a pitbull.

IMHO you are the voice of reason. I`m 55 and can tell you chaining a dog out when I was a kid was standard procedure. Personally I wouldn`t chain a dog especially unattended.
A ten foot chain creates a circle with 314 square feet of room. If it against the house it creates an area of 157 feet. A 16 foot by 8 foot kennel is only 128 square feet.
The kids trespassed on private property. The dog was secure and not a threat to anybody trespassing. The kids were wrong and should be refereed to juvenile court and the police were wrong for entering a private property where no threat to the public existed.
The dog owner was negligent and should be educated on proper care of animals.

"Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

When my kids were little if they came home with a scratch they got because they were on somebody`s property uninvited when that person was not home the scratch would have been the least of their worries.