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Dog Shot by Officer; Police Investigation Nearly CompleteThursday, February 10, 2011 James City County Police have nearly concluded an investigation into an officer's fatal shooting of an at-large dog the officer said had aggressively approached him. James City County Police Chief Emmett Harmon said the officer was coming home to change into his uniform on the afternoon of Jan. 28 when a neighbor’s dog that was loose “came at him” barking. The officer, who had had a previous encounter with the dog, was so startled that he dropped a cup he was holding, drew his weapon and yelled out to get the attention of the owner, but got no response. When the dog continued to advance, the officer shot the dog in the head, a wound that later killed it. The dog, described by other neighbors in the Toano neighborhood as a pit bull, had cornered the officer in his garage on a previous occasion. That time, the officer managed to scare the dog away by swinging a metal pipe towards it but not hitting it, according to Harmon. The officer had also approached the dog's owner about the pet, giving the owner a shock collar for an invisible fence to help keep the dog controlled.Though the police are continuing their internal investigation into the incident to ensure the officer acted appropriately, reasonably and within the law, Harmon says, “I probably would have done the same thing, after what we’ve found out.” What the police have found is that at least four neighbors had previous encounters with the dog “that put them in fear,” Harmon said. They also learned that on January 7 Animal Control was contacted about the dog being loose in the neighborhood. Animal Control staff then warned the owner about letting the dog run free. WYDaily was unable to contact the dog’s owner Wednesday. Three residents of the neighborhood told WYDaily they’d had similar experiences with the dog on different occasions. One neighbor, who asked that her name not be used, said her husband went out to get the newspaper one morning when the dog was loose. The dog started to run towards him, but the man made loud noises and it stopped approaching. The neighbor also said the dog had been at large earlier, jumping and barking at her while she was in her fenced-in yard. The dog consistently ran along her fence, she said, "up and down, up and down" whenever her dogs were in the yard. She had planned to call Animal Control but didn't when she heard another neighbor had already done so. The dog owner has only lived in the neighborhood for a few months, according to the woman. Chelsea Jones, another neighborhood resident, was bringing something to the officer’s home around January 14. When she exited the car, the dog was out alone and came running towards her. Jones says she's a pit bull owner and isn’t normally afraid of the breed. This particular dog kept charging at her, Jones said. When she got to the door the dog stopped. Jones said she left the items on the porch and was “hesitant” as she walked to the car, but the dog did not chase her further. “I’m glad it was me and not my child,” Jones said of the incident. “I’m glad the dog didn’t corner me. I don’t know what I would have done. I guess I would have been bitten.” Another resident in the neighborhood, Philip McCullum, said sometime last month he was carrying out the trash when he encountered the same dog loose in the area. It started running towards him. When McCullum “confronted” the dog with loud noises to get it to go away, it barked at him. He grabbed a fence post leaning against a tree and threatened the dog with it. The dog continued to bark, but McCullum was able to return to the house. “I still have the post beside my door, just in case,” he says. He had seen the dog running loose on other occasions, as well. McCullum said in hindsight, he wishes he'd walked over and said something to the owner after the incident to let them know, but he didn’t. Though the investigation is not yet complete, Harmon said it seems to him “the actions the officer took to protect himself were actions you’d expect a reasonable person to take. I’m glad it was a police officer [involved in the incident] and not someone else. Had it been a child, it could have been tragic.” Harmon says police are looking not only at any possible wrongdoing on the part of the officer, but also on the part of the dog owner. He expects the investigation to be complete by the end of the week.
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Comments
Yea police.
In 2010 victims of death by Pit Bull's were on average under the age of 10 and the Pit bull was their family pet!
These are facts not opinions and you should consider them when choosing a pet.
HOWEVER, on the other hand, plenty of people are way too lazy to take their dogs out to walk on a leash when the dogs need to go out. I see it where I live all the time. I have to be vigilant while walking my dog in my neighborhood because so many people just open the door and let them out to do their business-- nothing like having a dog charge you at 6 am in the dark! So I guess it it’s a good thing I don’t carry!!!! My dog goes crazy and I am suddenly trying to control two dogs. It is like sending a two-yr-old kid out to play in the street alone. I do have several neighbors who leash their dogs and pick-up after them also-but way too few!
These people don't really care for their animals or other people or they wouldn't risk the dog's or other people’s safety. Please report loose dogs, even if you see them in their own yards. It is only a matter of time before something bad happens.
Don't EVEN get me started on picking up after them. There are 89 homes in my neighborhood and I estimate 100 dogs, yes 100, really. If they defecate twice a day, even if it's in their own yard (approx 750 piles of excrement-per year per dog) and the owners never pick it up----the bacterial ocean that is created is sickening. The flies, the smell can make you sick literally. Dogs are carnivorous-the ir feces are not like the woodland animal’s that are vegetarian. They harbor parasites and E-coli that are transferable to humans.
Many of our yards are in an RPA-a Resource Protected Area. Chemicals and tree cutting is discouraged but nothing is done about the open sewer created by irresponsible dog owners. I see many walkers leave their dog's feces along the road where children walk and play and people park and exit their cars also. YUCK!!!
Unless you are in the country with 20 acres around you-you need to pick up, leash up, grow up and own up. I would never blame the dog, whatever its pedigree. I only wish everyone who owned a dog would have to demonstrate on a continuing basis, their fitness for dog ownership. Can someone start a class, like WALT or JCC Animal Control to certify owners in the basic responsibilitie s? I would be willing to help!!!!!!
And also don’t forget to spay and neuter your pets-it's the loving and responsible thing to do!
Go to Nautical Dog this Saturday and see some pit bulls who would love to change your mind about the visciousness of the breed.
And note to all dog owners: do everyone in your neighborhood a big favor, leash your pet and clean up after it - it's all part of the responsibility of owning a pet. If you can't do that, then don't get one.