County drug dog killed by former county judge

[Horse with no Name]

Very sad story.

http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2007/03/30/local_news/news03.txt

>>>snip
Aks, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office police dog that partnered with Sgt. Rickey Wheeler for the past six years, received a gunshot wound late Wednesday that sent him to his grave. Wheeler’s near neighbor and former Grayson County Judge Tim McGraw fired the fatal shot.

Aks was a German Shepherd born in Holland and responded to his handler’s commands spoken in Dutch. Private, corporate and organization donations, including some from the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Sheriff’s Academy alumni group, purchased and transported the dog here. Aks and Wheeler began working together in April 2001, six months after Wheeler buried his first K-9 partner, Artie, who died of natural causes Oct. 31, 2000. McGraw was serving as Grayson County Judge when Aks joined the Sheriff’s Office force. Both Wheeler and McGraw said they let their dogs out when they arrived home from work that day.

Grayson County S.O. Investigator David Sikes’ report stated that Aks had come onto McGraw’s property about 9:15 p.m. and fought with his two dogs in the backyard. Grayson County Sheriff Keith Gary, who went to the scene later, said there is about 200 yards distance through a wooded area between Wheeler’s and McGraw’s homes. McGraw went inside, got his 9-mm handgun, and went into the backyard. The report continues to say he say he kicked at the “other dog” trying to get his dogs back into the house. When they were safely inside, he went back outside to chase the intruding dog away. He fired two shots into the ground, the report stated, then fired the third shot at Aks when he turned and “was acting aggressively.” The dog yelped, turned around, and ran away.

McGraw spoke about the incident, adding a few more details. He said there have been four coyote attacks on his property, one of which killed a pet a year earlier and another that attacked animals twice on his property. Because dark had settled in, he said, Aks looked like any other large dog. He said he had only seen Aks in passing over the years and didn’t recognize the dog. “When he turned and came at me, I shot him,” McGraw said.

[meldroc]

1. Tragedy about the dog, but I can't say I blame the judge.

A dog like a German Shepard is a powerful animal. Sure, most of the time, they're socialized, friendly, and won't give you more than a playful nip, but if they want to, they can rip your throat out in a flash. The dog was fighting, acting very aggressive, and turned aggressively on the judge. I would have shot him too.

[Horse with no Name]

2. The question that I think needs to be asked is

why would such a valuable dog be running loose?

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Bingo!

[Arkansas Granny]

6. That was my first thought, too. It's unfortunate for the dog that his

handler did not act in a more responsible manner.

[youngdem]

5. Yep.

If a German Shepard were attacking my dogs, he wouldn't even get a warning shot.

A Shepard is a POWERFUL dog who can kill most other dogs with a single head shake.

The dog's caretaker is to blame here, not the judge.

[barb162]

4. Oh, sad story, very sad.

I don't think he had to shoot the dog. Why didn't he just stay in after he got his dogs inside or call the police about the dog in his yard.

[Jonathan50]

7. Sorry about the dog, it had no choice about what it was trained for.

But in the end I say, good riddance.

The War On (some) Drugs is the most freedom destroying thing in the USA and has led "The Land of the Free" to having the highest incarceration rate on the planet.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0818/p02s01-usju.html

US notches world's highest incarceration rate

A report highlights extent to which many citizens have served time in prison.

By Gail Russell Chaddock | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON – More than 5.6 million Americans are in prison or have served time there, according to a new report by the Justice Department released Sunday. That's 1 in 37 adults living in the United States, the highest incarceration level in the world.

It's the first time the US government has released estimates of the extent of imprisonment, and the report's statistics have broad implications for everything from state fiscal crises to how other nations view the American experience.

If current trends continue, it means that a black male in the United States would have about a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison during his lifetime. For a Hispanic male, it's 1 in 6; for a white male, 1 in 17.

The numbers come after many years of get-tough policies - and years when violent-crime rates have generally fallen. But to some observers, they point to broader failures in US society, particularly in regard to racial minorities and others who are economically disadvantaged.

[Clark2008]

8. Good riddance?

I can agree with you that the War on Drugs is pretty stupid, but we shouldn't cheer on the killing of animals - trained by Man, I should add - that are involved. They're also innocent in this idiotic "war."