Off-duty officer shoots family pet in Vacaville

[The Straight Story]

Off-duty officer shoots family pet in Vacaville

A Vacaville woman said an off-duty police officer was too quick to act when he shot her pit bull.

The officer, from Vallejo, was walking three dogs, including a Rottweiler, with his wife, when Leticia Clark's pit bull ran out of the garage towards the police officer.

Clark's 15-year-old daughter Sienna was chasing after their dog Carley when the officer shot and killed the 2-year-old dog.

"There is no doubt in my mind he made a mistake," Clark said. "My dog is not aggressive. She shouldn't have been shot. As a professional (police officer) and a dog owner, it was absolutely excessive. It was uncalled for."

http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=125733&catid=2

[DrDan]

1. "not agressive . . . . uh huh . . . right

"the pit bull charged at a smaller dog then bit the Rottweiler's neck.

"It had one animal by the throad and wouldn't let go," said Vacaville police Sgt. John Carli.

"The officer told Vacaville police that he kicked the dog to make her release and when that didn't work he shot the dog, said Carli."


No doubt an attorney has already been contacted.

[FreakinDJ]

2. People in No Calif are feed up with pit bulls

every crack-head small time drug dealer has them and trains them to be aggressive

It has long been established in Calif Law if dogs are attacking and killing your live stock you have the right to kill them with impunity

[keepCAblue]

17. Fed up with ignorant dog owners, not the dogs themselves. Also fed up with...

...people who make ignorant statements about a breed they know nothing about.

[DrDan]

19. are you suggesting the the jaw-strength of pit bulls has nothing to do with the extent of the

injuries they can inflict.

[The Straight Story]

3. But then there is:

"I talked to a number of officers. I was shocked. I was told on scene there was no injury to the couple's dogs," said Clark. "My dog is not an attack dog. She had obedience training.

-Who ya gonna trust, a cop or some citizen? :)

[DrDan]

4. not just "some citizen" but the owner

how many owners claim that their "pet" pit bull would never hurt a soul? Gentle as a lamb?

I'll go with the cop until some proof otherwise surfaces. I don't see a sane cop just shooting a dog for no reason.

[The Straight Story]

6. I'd probably go with the cop as well, however

if it was a regular citizen carrying a gun under their shirt and shot a dog...well then this whole situation would change.

It seems as though we are more trusting of a fellow human if they employed by the government (some think only such people should have access to weapons in the first place). Having been a deputy back in the day I can say while there are many decent cops there are also those who will lie through their teeth and protect each other at any cost - and feel that they are above everyone else (and yet, folks trust them because they have a badge....)

If I was with my family walking my dogs and a big dog of any time rushed us I might just as well react in the same fashion. Does not mean I would be right though.

[RKP5637]

7. +1, n/t

[elias49]

5. Who am I gonna trust? It's a toss up.

Being a cop doesn't automatically make you either morally or ethically superior to an average 'citizen'.
Just saying

[Le Taz Hot]

25. I see ANY dog come after me like that

and I'm armed (I wouldn't be), hell yes I'd shoot. How many times have I heard, "Oh, Fluffy would NEVER bite" immediately followed by, "I don't understand! Fluffy's never done that before!" If you don't want your dog hurt, don't let him/her out unleashed and HAVE CONTROL.

[DrDan]

26. gotta agree with you - unfortunately, it is ofter the young and the old

that pay the price of this agression, particulary when they are allowed to run as a pack. We need agressive prosecution of these owners.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Simple solution for this epidemic of cops shooting pets...

Non-lethal weapons!
Shouldn't a stun gun be the first thing you reach for?

[blueamy66]

9. I don't like cops at all, but....

I HATE pitbulls. I don't care what any pitbull owner has to say...most are trained to be aggressive.

If my kid or dogs were in peril because a pitbull owner cannot restrain it, then I would do whatever I could do to protect myself and my own.

[cleanhippie]

15. "most are trained to be aggressive" - care to source that claim?

Not that I necessarily disagree with you, just looking for facts here. Can you support that claim with factual data?

[blueamy66]

21. Yes.

Every encounter that I have had with a pitbull included some type of agressive behavior.

I don't need an internet link to enlighten me....I have my own life experience to go by.

Why wasn't this dog on a leash?

[cleanhippie]

24. Well, you should know then, that anectodal evidence is worthless.

You personal experience is meaningless when you make a broad-brush statement like the one you did. I have friends that have Pit Bulls and they are some of the sweetest dogs I have ever been around (except for my Boxer, of course). But MY personal experience is also just as worthless as yours, which is why I did NOT counter your claim.
So, unless you have factual data to back up your claim, all you have is your opinion, and nothing more.

[keepCAblue]

18. Sheer ignorance. n/t

[blueamy66]

22. I will re-post.

Every encounter that I have had with a pitbull included some type of agressive behavior.

I don't need an internet link to enlighten me....I have my own life experience to go by.

Before you call someone ignorant, get to know them a bit, k?

[ReggieVeggie]

13. I dont think off-duty cops carry their tasers

they do carry their guns

[Modern_Matthew]

10. Guns are worse than pit bulls. n/t

[notesdev]

11. Normally I'd disbelieve the cop

However, pit bull owners are also well known for lying about the viciousness of their animals, so I don't regard either side as credible.

[blueamy66]

23. Exactly.

I don't blame the dogs, I blame the dog owners.

[teenagebambam]

12. I've had two dogs

attacked by two different pit bulls on two separate occasions. Both were "gentle family pets". On one occasion my dog (a 25 pound beagle) was pulled out of my arms by the pit bull. If I had had a gun with me either time, I'm afraid to report that there would be two less pit bulls in the world.

[WatsonT]

14. Would have to have been there

a large dog running at you can be a terrifying thing. Dogs do kill people from time to time, or severely injure them.

But he isn't necessarily going to harm you either. Most dogs will just run up to you and bark if you get near their property.

Unfortunately it's not easy to tell the difference between the two in the 2 seconds it takes for them to run down the driveway and get close enough to attack.

I can see either side being correct depending on the details.
/leaning towards the cop on this one. The pit bull was biting the other dogs throat, that's not a peaceful loving action.

[Irishonly]

16. I have never run across a dog owner that will say their dog is aggressive

I walk my dogs daily. I have also developed a deep dislike for people who don't keep their dogs under control. If I had a penny for every time I have heard a dog doesn't bite I would be richer than Gates. My experience around here is that the smaller the dog the more likely the owner lets them run.

I carry dog repellent. In fact, I won't walk the dogs without having it on me. As I said most of the time it is small dogs but a few months ago two German Shepherds came running. I was lucky because people came to my aid. I also just heard about two loose pit bulls that got into a yard a couple of blocks away and killed a small dog.

Until I walked as much as I do I would get angry at the shooting of a pet. I think everyone should carry dog repellent and not be afraid to use it. I would also ask how close was the girl to Carly? Was the pit bull acting aggressive? How was the dog able to get out of the yard? I did not read the whole story as you can see.

There's two sides to every story. We have read too many times where a dog was shot and there was no reason for it. On the other side I don't know a lot of people that would say their dog is aggressive.

[Irishonly]

20. Case in Point

My cardio buddy, Ranger, I are walking minding our own business. Three big dogs come charging and I am thinking we are in a lot of trouble because these dogs don't look very friendly. I was lucky that several people came to help. I walk the same route most of the time because of all of the loose dogs. I usually don't see any on this street. My dog repellent would have done diddly squat.

[mackerel]

27. Wow that usually happens in V-town.

[KamaAina]

29. I usually associate pet-killer cops with Oakland

one even wasted a deer last year! But yeah, I could see it in V-town, too. :eyes:

[mackerel]

28. I just read that the officer was from V-town!

Makes a lot more sense now.

[FreeState]

30. Why is it that the Officer didn't know how to stop a Pit Bull? Are they not trained?

There is a very easy and effective way to release a Pitt Bulls mouth when its biting. Cover its nose so it cant breath and it will stop. This is basic knowledge that both the dog owner and the officer should have known.