Police-Dog Encounters:
A complex problem worth solving
Let me start with a little background. I’ve been a cop for over 25 years. I am also a dog lover. My wife and I have rescued six Rottweilers over the last 20 years, and they’ve all been great dogs, with wonderful dispositions. We also volunteer with our local no kill shelter.
So, you can probably imagine my surprise when a fellow volunteer at our local shelter approached me and asked for my opinion on the problem of ‘puppycide’. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the term, but she explained “it’s about cops who kill people’s dogs.”
Later that evening I did a quick Google search which revealed a wealth of information about puppycide, and brought to light just how extensive a problem this is on a national scale. For example, one website Puppycide: The Documentary proclaimed, “Every 98 minutes a dog is shot by law enforcement.” Continuing my internet research, I found the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (DOJ COPS) office, says fatal police vs. dogs encounters are an “epidemic” and estimates that 25 to 30 pet dogs are killed each day by law enforcement. Even on the low side of that estimate, that puts the number of dogs killed annually by law enforcement at over 9,125!
Puppycide: The Documentary, which is now titled “Of Dogs and Men: The Documentary” as I would later discover, is an effort by Ozymandias Media to shed light on this problem. Now, before my law enforcement colleagues jump to a conclusion this documentary is just an effort to cast law enforcement in a negative light, let me explain, it is not. In fact, Ozymandias Media is attempting to take a very fair and balanced approach to explaining why the numbers of dogs killed by law enforcement every year are so high. They have interviewed a number of cops in an effort to get an understanding of the law enforcement perspective of this problem. Here’s the movie trailer, which is solid evidence of their efforts to tell both sides of the story:
Having watched this video, a number of thoughts come to mind. First, after more than 25 years in law enforcement, it isn’t hard for me to see both sides of this story. On several occasions throughout my career, I have had dog owners who have encouraged their dogs to attack me, and my partner, just because we had arrived at their home in response to a 911 call for service. On each occasion, I was lucky enough to be able to control the situation with non-lethal force by deploying pepper mace as the dogs approached me. But, I will add that on each occasion, I had pepper mace in one hand, and my side arm in my other hand, just in case the dogs were not deterred by the mace. For me, the bottom line is this; as a dog owner I would never intentionally kill someone else’s dog, unless the dog was presenting a serious risk of injuring me, my partner, or a member of the public. I firmly believe in the vast majority of these situations, the dog owners are the real problem, not the dogs themselves!
That said, law enforcement officers do not get paid enough to let someone else’s big dog chew on them, and it is an undeniable fact that some dogs will bite. In fact, according to Dogsbite.org, a dog bite occurs every 75 seconds in the United States. Each day, over 1,000 citizens need emergency medical care to treat these injuries. Dog attack victims suffer over $1 billion in monetary losses annually. However, the Journal of the American Medical Association reports this estimate to be as high as $2 billion. Also, in 2014, there were 42 dog bite related fatalities reported in the United States.
Still a closer look at the statistics can be revealing. According to the Puppycide Data Base Project, analysis of 13 years worth of data between 1999 and 2011 showed a mean or average of 29 dog bite related fatalities had occurred in the United States. Still further analysis by the Puppycide Data Base project indicates more than 69% of those fatalities fall into one of two age groups. The first age group includes infants and children through four years of age. The second group involved citizens over 55 years of age, most well over that age. One other statistic should stand out to every law enforcement professional is that in the last 50 years, there was not a single documented incident of a cop being killed in the line of duty by a canine.
Over the last couple of years public perception of law enforcement officers hit a new low. Today, many Americans are spending more on their family pets than ever before, and most consider their dogs to be part of their family. As a result, they don’t like the idea of law enforcement killing dogs, regardless of the circumstances.
Many puppycide incidents turn into public relations nightmares for the agencies involved. Take for example, the case of Chloe, the mixed breed dog killed by Commerce Colorado police officers on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. Video of the shooting was posted on the internet, and in a short time the incident went viral. The video revealed an animal control officer had caught Chloe with a “catch pole” and was struggling to get her under control, when one of the officers drew his side arm, and shot her to death. Animal rights activists and dog lovers were outraged, and even set up a “justice for Chloe” protest at the Commerce City Hall.
Within a year of the Commerce City incident, the Colorado State legislature passed a law mandating training for all law enforcement officers. However, Colorado is not alone, in this regard. Texas is also considering a bill mandating new training for officers who encounter canines. The officer training proposal, came after a rookie officer in Fort Worth killed a border collie in 2014. According to a local news station, the young officer was afraid of dogs and had never been trained to deal with them out in the field.
(Updated on August 31, 2015 — I have been informed Texas House Bill 593 had passed and was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on 5/18/15, to be effective on 9/1/15. Here is a link to the Texas Tribune article by Liz Crampton which was shared with me).
Growing concerns over law suits and poor public perception are just a couple of the reasons why law enforcement professionals and animal protection agencies are considering more productive ways of dealing with dog related encounters. Most believe the key lies with education of both the officers, and dog owners. Law enforcement agencies should consider establishing formal training based on the appropriate use of force continuum for canine encounters. The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Office produced training material entitled, “The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters,” which they make available free of charge to law enforcement agencies. There are also a number of short training videos available on Youtube, that would be perfect for roll call training. Law enforcement professionals should also consider seeking feedback about the training from dog behaviorists, and their local animal protection organization. A well establish training program will most likely receive an endorsement from these groups.
Here are a few tips for Law Enforcement Officers when encountering canines in the field:
· Try to distract the dog by throwing a stick or a ball
· Use voice commands such as, “Sit” or “Stay” in a firm, but friendly voice
· Use a barrier, such as a garbage can, lawn chair, or other object to shield yourself from a charging dog.
· Use a baton, or PR-24, not as a striking weapon, but to keep the dog at bay.
· Recent studies show oleoresin capsicum, also known as “OC” or “Pepper” spray was 100% effective against dogs at distances of 6 to 10 feet
· Most law enforcement use of force experts do not recommend the use of a TASER against a dog.
· If a dog has been shot, acknowledge the dog owner’s grief, and show empathy and compassion.
This last point cannot be stressed enough. As I’ve previously stated, many people in the United States see their dogs as part of their family. Having a family member shot by the police is, understandably, going to result in an emotionally traumatic experience for the dog owner. In correspondence Patrick Reasonover, of Ozymandias Media, explained, “I can tell you that many owners we spoke to said they would not have taken legal action if the officer had simply said “I’m sorry, I made a mistake. Things happened so fast. I was just trying to do my job.”
I cannot endorse the idea of the officer involved saying, “I made a mistake” in every situation, because many people will see the statement as an indication of wrong doing on the part of the officer, and justification for filing a lawsuit, even when an officer may have been perfectly justified in their actions. However, when an officer messes up, the best practice is always to fess up. For example, if the officer inadvertently responded to the wrong address, and then shoots a dog, it would be entirely appropriate to acknowledge a mistake had been made, and apologize to the owner.
Still, Mr. Reasonover’s point is well made. The most important take away is that simply acknowledging the grief of the dog owner in these situations can go a long way towards mitigating the possibility of a lawsuit and/or a public relations nightmare. Remember, it never hurts to show the public we serve a little empathy and compassion!
Law enforcement agencies should consider using social media, and other opportunities to educate the public of the following points:
· The vast majorities of cops are animal lovers, and have no desire to harm a family pet.
· The public should keep dogs under control at all times — obedience training is essential, especially for large breed dogs
· Dog owners should keep their dog in their yard, and never allow their dog to roam freely through the neighborhood — over 40% of fatal dog bites occurred off the dog owner’s property
· If dog owners take their dog outside their yard, they should keep the dog on a short lead and close by at all times
· If dog owners keep their dog in a fenced backyard, they should check on the dog frequently — dogs are natural escape artists.
Unfortunately, not all shootings of dogs by police officers can be avoided through training. Sometimes officers are left with no other choice to ensure their safety and that of the public at large. There will be times when tactical considerations may limit an officer’s ability to choose a less-lethal, take-it-slow approach during a hostile canine encounter. Still, even the most ardent animal activists will understand this is the case.
The issue of Puppycide presents a complex problem for law enforcement agencies, but it is one we can easily overcome through training and education.
** — Special thanks to Patrick Reasonover, of Ozymandias Media, for providing feedback about this article. Here’s a link to their website for more information about the documentary:
