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This is a sad story that's getting a lot of air play in Baltimore now. People aren't just upset that a dog was shot. They are upset that a federal officer did it and most likely will get away with it.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...r-dog-fight-shooting-20100803,0,7786058.story
A man was walking his sister's Siberian husky, Bear-Bear, in a dog park near his sister's house. Yes, Bear-Bear was off his leash, but that's allowed in this dog park. (It was within a fenced-off area.) Bear-Bear was three years old and known to many of the residents. There had never been any problems with this dog, who was a rescue husky but was also very loving according to all reports.
Then they encountered someone new -- a federal police officer who was new to the area. The fed (who was there with his wife) was walking his German Shepherd on a leash. When the dogs started to play rough, the fed asked the dog-walker to call off the dog. But before the walker could respond, the officer pulled a gun and shot Bear-Bear in the abdomen. According to what I heard on the radio this afternoon, he said it would be fine because he had only shot the dog in the "rear." It seems he is a lousy shot or has lousy vision. Bear-Bear died hours later. (Oh by the way, if what I heard on the radio is true, he used hollow point bullets, so the husky didn't have a chance.)
This incident has the community in an uproar. They've never had problems with confrontations in this dog park -- owners know how to follow the rules. OTOH the shooter was new to the area. Other dog owners have come to the defense of Bear-Bear, pointing out that the husky was always well behaved and didn't even bark or growl. (Yes, he played rough, but the owner explained that huskies do that. You would play rough, too, if you were strong enough to tow sleds in Alaska.)
On top of that, the dog's owner encountered even more trouble whens he tried to get something done. The shooter was reportedly uncooperative, and the county police don't want to do anything. They aren't pressing charges. They aren't even naming the shooter. Animal control didn't want to get involved because the dogs didn't show any signs of having been in a fight -- so it seems they really were just "playing rough."
I know that when an animal is killed or hurt in this way, some people say they don't care because it was an animal, not a human. But if this guy pulled out a gun and pulled the trigger because two dogs were playing rough, what could he do under a real crisis? I understand that it can be nerve-wracking to see dogs "play rough." I'm sure my first response would be "Holy shit! Leave my dog alone!" But I think my second response would be "Let me get my dog out of this" or "Let me get the other owner to help" or something. Not "I know, I'll just pull my gun and shoot the dog!"
Also, at least one local talk show host saw another layer to the story. He is using this as an example of yet another federal law enforcement officer who will probably get away scot free. For example, in 2002, again in Maryland, an innocent man was shot in the face by FBI agents who thought he might be a suspect in a bank robbery. Yet again, the identity of the shooter was not released, and little, if anything, happened to the shooter.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...r-dog-fight-shooting-20100803,0,7786058.story
A man was walking his sister's Siberian husky, Bear-Bear, in a dog park near his sister's house. Yes, Bear-Bear was off his leash, but that's allowed in this dog park. (It was within a fenced-off area.) Bear-Bear was three years old and known to many of the residents. There had never been any problems with this dog, who was a rescue husky but was also very loving according to all reports.
Then they encountered someone new -- a federal police officer who was new to the area. The fed (who was there with his wife) was walking his German Shepherd on a leash. When the dogs started to play rough, the fed asked the dog-walker to call off the dog. But before the walker could respond, the officer pulled a gun and shot Bear-Bear in the abdomen. According to what I heard on the radio this afternoon, he said it would be fine because he had only shot the dog in the "rear." It seems he is a lousy shot or has lousy vision. Bear-Bear died hours later. (Oh by the way, if what I heard on the radio is true, he used hollow point bullets, so the husky didn't have a chance.)
This incident has the community in an uproar. They've never had problems with confrontations in this dog park -- owners know how to follow the rules. OTOH the shooter was new to the area. Other dog owners have come to the defense of Bear-Bear, pointing out that the husky was always well behaved and didn't even bark or growl. (Yes, he played rough, but the owner explained that huskies do that. You would play rough, too, if you were strong enough to tow sleds in Alaska.)
On top of that, the dog's owner encountered even more trouble whens he tried to get something done. The shooter was reportedly uncooperative, and the county police don't want to do anything. They aren't pressing charges. They aren't even naming the shooter. Animal control didn't want to get involved because the dogs didn't show any signs of having been in a fight -- so it seems they really were just "playing rough."
I know that when an animal is killed or hurt in this way, some people say they don't care because it was an animal, not a human. But if this guy pulled out a gun and pulled the trigger because two dogs were playing rough, what could he do under a real crisis? I understand that it can be nerve-wracking to see dogs "play rough." I'm sure my first response would be "Holy shit! Leave my dog alone!" But I think my second response would be "Let me get my dog out of this" or "Let me get the other owner to help" or something. Not "I know, I'll just pull my gun and shoot the dog!"
Also, at least one local talk show host saw another layer to the story. He is using this as an example of yet another federal law enforcement officer who will probably get away scot free. For example, in 2002, again in Maryland, an innocent man was shot in the face by FBI agents who thought he might be a suspect in a bank robbery. Yet again, the identity of the shooter was not released, and little, if anything, happened to the shooter.
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