Cops and Dogs 1

Now I don't want it to seem like I have a poor opinion of our local cities Police Officers (PD), CHP, and County Sheriff Deputies (SSD). I don't. I worked for the Sheriff's Department before coming to Animal Control and know many city and county officers. One of my best friend's husband is a K9 Officer for one city. They really are good people for the most part.

Except it seems when it comes to pit bulls or dogs that look like pit bulls.

I'm sure some of it has to do with the bad press that pits get. And some of it has to do with the asshats they have to deal with owning "badass" pit bulls.

They seem to have some over driving paranoia that ALL pit bulls are going to eat their face.

And you know what they want to do with that? Pepper Spray it. Tazer it. OR Shoot it.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times we, ACOs have literally saved dogs from being shot by cops. and I'll tell dog owners, they were lucky we (Animal control) showed up or your dog would be dead.

Now I may be getting ahead of myself. And I don't want to really give the impression that cops are shoot first ask questions later when it comes to ALL pit bulls.

And Not ALL cops react this way. I even know a few that have transported pits in their cars.

But the pits who are out running around acting like knuckle heads.

These are the ones that have cops up in arms. Literally. Most recently especially.

A couple weeks ago, we had a couple of pit bulls that were running loose and bit a man near a high school. Cops arrived first then 460 arrived. She put a call into me since my beat is closest to hers and the Swing officer 455 who had just started working other calls in her area.

When I arrived there were cops everywhere around the high school and junior high. You would have thought there was a bank robber on the loose. I get a radio call from 460 that she had one of the dogs but the other was last seen running down a major street. Cops were pursuing that one. I turned down that street and saw 2 SSDs running down the side of the street and a squad car lights going also turn onto the street. Waaaaaaay up ahead I saw this black blur blasting through traffic. I pulled over long enough for one of the SDDs to jump into my truck with his shotgun and we were in pursuit. He's leaning out my window with his shotgun.

We chased the dog off that street onto a side street next to the schools and down towards the residential neighborhood. The dog ran straight to the first house of the neighborhood. Several, four or five, cop cars were suddenly there. Cops jumping out of their cars as the dog was trying to jump the low fence into the front yard of this house. Cops with their guns drawn where yelling at the young woman, who was nonchalantly standing on the front step smoking a cigarette, to get into her house. Instead, she walks over the the gate and lets the dog into the yard. A couple young men came out of the house. Turns out this is where the dogs live.

My thought at this was "HELLO??? COPS WITH GUNS ASSHATS!!" But I was kind of hanging back, since the cops seem to be taking things under thier control.

So during all of this the owner was at home hanging out. This house looks directly at the schools. The bite attack happened just down the street in front of the high school. So for a undetermined length of time these dogs were not home, running loose, bit someone, had cops arrive, animal control arrive, chased all around the school and neighborhoods, then chased back home. And the owners had no idea their dogs were gone.

The black dog, Trey and the white dog, Hitler. Were both impounded by us. The cops ran everyone in the house for warrants and probation checks.

I told the owner, when he asked me if he was going to be able to get his dogs back, that he was lucky that his dogs were alive. That if we hadn't been there the cops would have most definitely shot and killed his dogs. Yes, he could get his dogs back, AFTER a 10 day Quarantine for the bite, paying all the fees (impound, quarantine boarding, rabies vaccinations, licensing and at-large fine) AND a fence inspection. Then his dogs can come home. And if the bite victim filed a Vicious/Dangerous Dog Affidavit they couldn't be released until after the Court hearing if they are released at all. (As far as I know the Victim didn't file one, even though he was encouraged to do so). This was 460's call so I just helped her out with taking down information for the reports while she impounded the second dog.

I have many other stories about cops and animals, especially dogs and namely pit bulls. But I'll have to share those later.

Long story short. Have a knucklehead pit bull in my county? Better make sure it's secure in your yard. For its safety as well as the public.