Hi, I feel very sad for the family whose dog was shot in front of them. While the police officer made what appears to be a poor decision we should take a moment to think about all the circumstances. Given that police officers see a side of life that many of us can't even dream about let's think about the heightened level of adrenalin that must be running through the veins when stopping a suspected criminal, and not knowing whether or not it could be a gun-toting crazy. It does take time for those kind of "rushes" to subside and in the time the driver was being apprehended the dog appears on the scene. There is little time to assess whether or not its a friendly tail waving dog or a tail waving biting dog, I'm sure time stood still for the family. Perhaps for the police officer time was moving too fast and maybe he's seen the speed at which a dog can turn from friend to savage.
The lesson to be learned here is to have a dog suitably restrained while travelling in a vehicle. Even the nicest dog can become a fierce dog in a car accident and witnessing your master being accosted (in their eyes) could cause most dogs to become defensive. Rose Tierney
