This is one of the things I'm always aware of on alarm calls. And make sure to teach the rookies to do as well. Look for signs of a dog, dog toys, dog food, dog house, signs and even the smell of dogshit. If you see any of the above, do the whistle thing, "here puppy, here puppy" etc. You really don't want to shoot a dog if it can be helped.
I own a dog and would be pissed if a cop shot mine. I'd personally take a bite before shooting one but thats just me. We did have an officer who was a former Marine Corps K9 handler taze a large aggressive pitbull once though. Dog got the message.
I have been bitten three times. The first time, it was a home invasion call where the homeowner was being held hostage by three armed men. I went in the front door with my gun drawn and his dog grabbed my gun hand and I had to shake him and finally hit him on the nose with my other hand. The call turned out to be false, with the caller being a crazy, terminally ill person.
The second time, a pitbull grabbed my forearm. I still bare the scars, but I did not report it because they would have euthanized the dog.
The third and most recent time was new years day this year. A little dog jumped up and grabbed onto my fingers. I shook it off.
I would never shoot a dog unless it was mauling a child. Never. Some officers are not as willing to take a bite, but most are. I have even instructed partners and my people under my command-that even if a dog is latched on to me, don't shoot it. Spray or taser it, but don't shoot. I could not handle seeing a dog get shot.
Cops encounter thousands of dog calls per week, and very seldom are the dogs shot. But when a dog is shot, people remember that, and regardless of the circumstances, people demonize the cops. There are certainly many instances when it was unnecessary, and even instances where I think it was a criminal act, but not all instances where dogs are shot are the same. Yet it has become en vogue to say that cops want to shoot dogs to punish people, or because they are sick and twisted.
Again, in my 12 years, three dogs have been shot by my department, and one was a mercy killing at the request of the owner. The most recent garnered protests and threats against officers and the K-9s on the department "How about we shoot your fucking dogs...." And this was for a dog deemed vicious because it repeatedly got loose and chased people while growing and barking. One guy ran from his car and barely made it inside before he was bit. And the dog was ordered to be taken out of the city and the people just moved down the street with the dog and it continually got out. Twice in the week it was shot. Yet, people still believe what they were told on facebook, or whatever, and call us names, call into hq to demand the officer be removed from the force-and none of the people calling even know the officer's name or are from anywhere near the area. And the comments the family is making are false, and they will get sued by this officer and he has a solid case.
