
Don’t shoot the dogs: The growing epidemic of cops shooting family dogs - paulpauper
https://www.overtoncountynews.com/lifestyles/don-t-shoot-the-dogs-the-growing-epidemic-of-cops-shooting-family-dogs/article_98757e76-318f-11ea-8d4f-e35f8b517936.html
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kryogen1c
> that an officer’s subjective fear of a minor wound from a dog bite

i _hate_ shit like this. i have very strong opinions on the militirization of
cops in america being in opposition with individual sovereignty, but when you
write absolutely, obviously idiotic things like this it just destroys the
cause. why are you forcing me into a position of defending my enemy because
you cant stop yourself from using blatantly false... lets say hyperbole.

dogs are dangerous. theres no part of your body you can give a dog to bite
that doesnt have a high probability of causing permanent damage on everything
but the lightest, most timid bites (assuming we're talking about 30+pound
animals).

you might as well say "an officers subjective fear of minor stab wounds". dont
be obtuse. there are many problems with officers being directed into peoples
backyards authorized lethal force with legal permission to murder people and
animals, but none of them are the officers fault.

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hirundo
I've had a dozen or so minor wounds from minor dog bites that healed up fine.
It's not that you're wrong, just using ... lets say hyperbole.

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kryogen1c
oh? how many of those interactions were you intentionally trespassing with the
intent to either capture or kill the dogs owners?

dogs dont know anything about uniforms. they read body language and smell
hormones, pheromones, etc. it sounds like you work with dogs, so surely you
know it is significantly important to approach unfriendly, angry, or anxious
dogs WITHOUT a focused, anxious intent expecting violence - like a cop would,
breaking into someone's yard.

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guiltygods
This does not make sense. There are other professions who come into contact
with strange dogs on a daily basis (postal workers, Ups, delivery men,
landscapers, utilities inspectors). How many get bitten or face aggression?
They would face this issue on a much larger scale but it not so.

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simonblack
While _legally_ a dog is just a chattel, _morally_ a pet is a valued member of
the household.

Killing the pet is for many people the equivalent of shooting their daughter
or son.

There isn't this same problem in many other countries. I blame the US gun
culture for this.

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not_really
Respectfully I disagree.

You can blame gun culture all you want, but I am certain that many gun owners
are also pet owners who would not ever think of shooting a pet.

Police training is more to blame, or maybe it's just police culture.

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deeblering4
It’s time to end qualified immunity.

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mindslight
Ending qualified immunity is a red herring. As long as police unions keep
their corrupting power, they'll just demand indemnification from the city as
part of their contract.

And it's pretty irrelevant here, as I don't think the victims are successfully
suing the various cities for killing their dogs. What really needs to happen
is 1. actual criminal charging and prosecution of police officers, by an
independent prosecutor that doesn't rely on a working relationship with police
department for the bulk of their cases and 2. proper civil putative and
emotional damages for pet deaths, rather than the legal system's current
tendency to write it off as a petty loss.

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flyingfences
> actual criminal charging and prosecution of police officers

Yes, this is what Qualified Immunity prevents.

~~~
sio8ohPi
QI is purely about civil suits.

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quantified
The chihuahua on the other side of a fence is not a threat except to an ego.
Let’s be real.

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anticonformist
I think police should have better procedures in place to try to prevent
shooting dogs. It definitely happens more than it should.

That said, bites are incredibly dangerous and not something to downplay. This
is pure ignorance. No infectious disease doctor is likely to agree that dog
bites are always a "minor wound." People are hospitalized, lose limbs, and die
from infections caused by bites. Puncture wounds should _always_ be treated by
a doctor.

Even a small dog can inflict a dangerous wound. Kicking a dog is a good way to
get a bitten on the foot. Restraining a dog without injury is extremely
difficult.

Police should employ pepper spray against dogs, or maybe there's a better
technology available that they should start using.

But, when there is a legitimate case where a police officer reasonably fears
that a dog is about to bite them, they should be be free to shoot. This is
basic self-defense against great bodily injury. Every American has this right,
not just police.

It's on owners to do their best to prevent police from interacting with their
unrestrained dogs. That doesn't mean it's always the owners fault if a police
officer is forced to shoot a dog. Sometimes it's just a bad situation and no
one is really at fault.

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Teever
This post is hyperbolic.

I have friends who read gas meters for many years. This is a job that involves
coming in contact with dogs of all sizes and demeanor.

If a gas company can handle sending some 18 yo kids into thousands of
backyards a week to deal with dogs then I'm sure law enforcement officers can
be trained to handle dogs with the same outcomes that the gas company sees (no
amputations from dog bites to my knowledge.)

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anticonformist
There is no equivalence between a meter reader and a police officer's
situation. Some subset of police interactions may be similar but many will be
very different. A police officer's interaction is much more likely to be
heated, urgent, close quarters, and unavoidable. A meter reader can just leave
if necessary, which is what they do.

For example, police officers frequently have to enter a home during a domestic
dispute with a dog that is riled up due to its owners having a physical
altercation.

