Rains County Deputy Shoots Victim's Dog

[suthdj]

Here is the report with the dashcam: http://www.kltv.com/story/25335952/dash ... ooting-dog

After watching the video I really don't see how he was in any danger. I think he even makes a kissing sound and says "come'on boy". I don't hear the dog barking or anything and then the sound goes out from the gunshot. I'd say he showed a serious lack of judgement and I'm not surprised he was fired. Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't wind up working somewhere else either.

Saw a blurb on Fox news saying something like based on the comments recieved they did not think he would be safe to work anywhere in Texas. After watching the video it seems the dog was aggressive how it was shot in the back of the head can't say. I did notice from the video the woman saying you can see the dog wagging its tail, Duh, angry dogs also wag thier tails, read a book on dog body language it was not wagging because it wanted to play.

[talltex]

Saw a blurb on Fox news saying something like based on the comments recieved they did not think he would be safe to work anywhere in Texas. After watching the video it seems the dog was aggressive how it was shot in the back of the head can't say. I did notice from the video the woman saying you can see the dog wagging its tail, Duh, angry dogs also wag thier tails, read a book on dog body language it was not wagging because it wanted to play.

Doesn't matter if the dog was snapping, snarling, or foaming at the mouth...
1. the Deputy didn't HAVE to park right behind the pickup with the dog in it. That's why the dog was barking and agitated...because a stranger was on the property...that's what a dog does to alert his owner. He could just as easily driven away from that spot and parked at a distance while waiting to speak to the owner.

2. once he was parked there, and could plainly see the dog jumping around in the bed of the truck and barking at him...he had no reason to get out of the car at that point. He wasn't there to interview the dog...he could have simply waited there for Mr. Middlebrook to get off the tractor and come over and calm or secure the dog. He could have called out to him over the cars PA system--which he did later, after moving his car away and waiting for the other officers to arrive.

3. The Deputy says he was bitten by a dog last year and couldn't risk it happening again. Then why in the world, did he park right there and then get out of the car knowing the dog was agitated ? Sure looks and sounds like he was anticipating exactly what happened...either that or he just lacks enough common sense to be wearing a badge and gun.

[mamabearCali]

Since the deputy was there on an investigative call--no emergency in progress, primarily going to be paperwork (what was broken, what was stolen). There was no need to be charging in.

Let think about this like this. Your friend calls you over to help him with his broken down tractor, he needs your help. You do as the deputy did and pull up to a snarling dog.....what is the reasonable course of action? If you get out of the car and shoot your friends dog, I am betting you will be in legal trouble and are going to at minimum lose a friend. If you call out your window "Hey Bob! Get your dog!" You save a friendship, legal trouble, and a furry friends life.

We need to require our LEO's to have at minimum the same discretion and common sense you and I would be required to have.

[EEllis]

Since the deputy was there on an investigative call--no emergency in progress, primarily going to be paperwork (what was broken, what was stolen). There was no need to be charging in.

While you might feel that way his boss might not and I saw nothing to indicate he was "Charging" anywhere.

Let think about this like this. Your friend calls you over to help him with his broken down tractor, he needs your help. You do as the deputy did and pull up to a snarling dog.....what is the reasonable course of action? If you get out of the car and shoot your friends dog, I am betting you will be in legal trouble and are going to at minimum lose a friend. If you call out your window "Hey Bob! Get your dog!" You save a friendship, legal trouble, and a furry friends life.

It's just not the same situation. So what one would do and what a cop should do have no real connection. I would also say that until the dog jumped out of the truck I wouldn't of thought it was particularly dangerous. It was barking but didn't look like it was "snarling" until it was about to jump out. I would bet that happened after the deputy had gotten out of the patrol so .....

We need to require our LEO's to have at minimum the same discretion and common sense you and I would be required to have.

I do think there are too many dog shootings by police. One method that seems to be effective is that any animal shooting must be investigated by a certain level in the command. My understanding with most departments it's just looked at by the Sgt. only and requires no investigation. With the extra work involved comes the disapproval for having to do extra without a good reason lowering the number of officer involved dog shootings. That does not mean every shooting is unjustified or even that this one is tho I personally think the guy shot before it was truly necessary. Still I think most people who are upset care little or not at all if it was a justified shooting. Also Rains County does have a leash law. If the dog bit the officer the owner would have been 100% liable for the dogs actions and if a private citizen had shot the dog when he was legally on the property there would be no legal action that could be successful. While the dog may not of bitten anyone no matter what, visitors don't always know your dog! If you have a dog that might bite you must have a shut gate and post warnings. The officer may be in the wrong. May. But this owner was also negligent.

[mojo84]

Apparently his boss thinks he was in the wrong. I'm sure you would argue with him also though.

[mamabearCali]

Leash laws apply (where I live) when your dog is off of your property. Not when your dog is simply outdoors. The deputy was on the man's property so where I live and the way I have had leash laws explained to me by animal control officers is he may have been unwise, but would not have been considered outside the law. This is a farm as I read the story. It is likely not your suburban 1/3 acre lot where an unleashed dog on the front lawn is somewhat uncommon.

If he was not intent on charging in.....why didn't he retreat to his car when confronted with an angry dog?

EEllis, I am going to guess you are in law enforcement as I see you consistently come down on their side. Do you realize how much public trust is lost with everyone one of these encounters? Do you realize that law abiding citizens (like me and others) are starting to second guess when they will choose to call the police and how they will handle it when asked a question by a LEO? Every time one of these situations occurs that requires an explanation that defies common sense, it makes a LEO's job a little harder. Lots of a little harder adds up to LEO's jobs becoming a ton harder. It also adds up to making every much less safe. It is bad for you (whether you are a LEO or not) and bad for me.

Those who are going to be entrusted with lethal state force need to be significantly slower in using it.

[rp_photo]

EEllis, I am going to guess you are in law enforcement as I see you consistently come down on their side. Do you realize how much public trust is lost with everyone one of these encounters? Do you realize that law abiding citizens (like me and others) are starting to second guess when they will choose to call the police and how they will handle it when asked a question by a LEO?

My trust and respect for LEO's has taken a steep drop over the past year or so, due in no small part to the epidemic of needless dog shootings.

If given the choice, I'd accept more risk in exchange for more freedom, and prefer to fend for myself more and have fewer LEO's and laws.

[CHLLady]

Suthdj, not sure who you are directing the "Duh" towards, but that dog was NOT acting aggressive to me. Growing up, we always had Dobermans. To me, an aggressive dog is staring you down, possible tail tucked in/down, growling, showing teeth and barking as they approach, usually with their hair standing up along their back. That's aggressive to me. Maybe a nervous dog would wag their tail and still be aggressive, but you would still see teeth and staring. Just think of Chihuahuas when you get too close to their master.

If it had been me, I would have stopped and spoke in a sweet happy tone to the dog and let him smell my hand, if he chose to approach. That dog's head was bouncing around, tail wagging, and he was barking cuz there was a stranger, and he was letting his master know, as is his job!

It's just heartbreaking. We have so many on this board who have pets and have lost some recently.

I do not agree with threatening this ex-deputy or the department whatsoever. They put their lives on the line for our communities, we have to be able to trust that they will fulfill their oath. Needless incidents like this can cause us to distrust or wonder at the level of professionalism coming to help. Waving and acting up for the camera does not reflect well on you. This man was grieving, literally laid up on the ground shouting in anguish about his dog. For a man to do this, you have to respect his sincerity. I think when that deputy saw the level of anguish, he realized he had made a HUGE mistake and was calling for help, to help get himself out of it. That man was in NO way acting aggressive to the deputy! He was rolling around on the ground in profound grief. Then had to deal with clownish behavior from the deputy's back up.

[EEllis]

Apparently his boss thinks he was in the wrong. I'm sure you would argue with him also though.

What I heard was that he fired the guy not because he did something wrong but because of the response to the shooting. That the guy could no longer do his job regardless of if the officer was correct. Of course you also ignored where I said the officer was likely wrong and have nothing saying the sheriff, or the direct supervisor of the officer thinks it's a good idea to stay in the car every time a dog barks. We can ignore that and any points I make to engage in snarky comments. If that is the policy then heck yeah the officer should stay in his unit. The assumption that that would be A OK! is a bit strange.

[EEllis]

Leash laws apply (where I live) when your dog is off of your property. Not when your dog is simply outdoors. The deputy was on the man's property so where I live and the way I have had leash laws explained to me by animal control officers is he may have been unwise, but would not have been considered outside the law. This is a farm as I read the story. It is likely not your suburban 1/3 acre lot where an unleashed dog on the front lawn is somewhat uncommon.

Honestly I don't know the wording on the Rains county leash law other than they have one but most locations you have to either enclose or leash your dog. If the deputy didn't open a gate then the owner wouldn't be in compliance.

If he was not intent on charging in.....why didn't he retreat to his car when confronted with an angry dog?

Because the dog was too close? I don't know I didn't see it. I was just pointing out that you didn't have any reason to use that word except to make it sound as bad as possible ignoring the fact that there is no real evidence of your statement.

EEllis, I am going to guess you are in law enforcement as I see you consistently come down on their side. Do you realize how much public trust is lost with everyone one of these encounters? Do you realize that law abiding citizens (like me and others) are starting to second guess when they will choose to call the police and how they will handle it when asked a question by a LEO? Every time one of these situations occurs that requires an explanation that defies common sense, it makes a LEO's job a little harder. Lots of a little harder adds up to LEO's jobs becoming a ton harder. It also adds up to making every much less safe. It is bad for you (whether you are a LEO or not) and bad for me.

You've guessed wrong. I don't believe I am coming down on "law enforcements" side. I have made statements that I don't think the deputy needed to shoot the dog. Commented on the belief that there are too many shootings by cops of dogs and gave an example of a possible police policy that seems to have helped lower those numbers. How is that coming down on their side? When people make statements that appears to be false or incorrect I say so regardless on my stance on an issue. I also hold to a pretty high burden of proof before condemning someone cop or not. That and I think I have some understanding of the various issues and honestly usually investigate an issue before commenting. If I seem to come down on a side it may well be that the other side has some issues with their arguments. Look here is an example of what I mean. If you make a post about how burgers from restaurant A are better than burgers from restaurant B because, among other things, they are bigger. If I decided to comment I would see if I could call up some reviews, check out the comments, and see if I could find out what size the burgers are. If I then posted that you were wrong because the restaurants actually have the same sized burgers that doesn't mean I am coming down on the side of restaurant B, just that one of the statements you tried to use to prove your point was incorrect.

Those who are going to be entrusted with lethal state force need to be significantly slower in using it.

Different people draw that line in different places but you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

[rbwhatever1]

"Different people draw that line in different places but you are certainly entitled to your opinion."

That's true and it will change only when the people those "line drawers" work for put a stop to it. It's happening today from coast to coast thanks to the internet, cell phone videos, hidden cameras, dash cam videos, and now apparently massive phone calls to the Sherriff.

Happy Sunday Armed Americans!

[mojo84]

The sheriff would not have thrown the guy under the bus if he wasn't wrong in what he did. The public response only made sure he took appropriate swift action. It can be spun however one wants to spin it. The bottom line is it was another improper shooting of a dog. It was obvious to the sheriff he knew he knew he didn't have a choice. Public pressure to do the right thing shouldn't be twisted and spun as is being done by some.

[EEllis]

The sheriff would not have thrown the guy under the bus if he wasn't wrong in what he did.

Yeah because a boss has never thrown someone under a bus to save themselves or heck just because it's too much trouble to do otherwise.

"His career is ruined in this community. And there's been threats toward him, threats toward this department," Traylor said. "I think my officers would be in danger if he was still out there."

Yep just like he thought the guy was guilty before they even had time to investigate.

[Jim Beaux]

Since the deputy was there on an investigative call--no emergency in progress, primarily going to be paperwork (what was broken, what was stolen). There was no need to be charging in.

While you might feel that way his boss might not and I saw nothing to indicate he was "Charging" anywhere.

Let think about this like this. Your friend calls you over to help him with his broken down tractor, he needs your help. You do as the deputy did and pull up to a snarling dog.....what is the reasonable course of action? If you get out of the car and shoot your friends dog, I am betting you will be in legal trouble and are going to at minimum lose a friend. If you call out your window "Hey Bob! Get your dog!" You save a friendship, legal trouble, and a furry friends life.

It's just not the same situation. So what one would do and what a cop should do have no real connection. I would also say that until the dog jumped out of the truck I wouldn't of thought it was particularly dangerous. It was barking but didn't look like it was "snarling" until it was about to jump out. I would bet that happened after the deputy had gotten out of the patrol so .....

We need to require our LEO's to have at minimum the same discretion and common sense you and I would be required to have.

I do think there are too many dog shootings by police. One method that seems to be effective is that any animal shooting must be investigated by a certain level in the command. My understanding with most departments it's just looked at by the Sgt. only and requires no investigation. With the extra work involved comes the disapproval for having to do extra without a good reason lowering the number of officer involved dog shootings. That does not mean every shooting is unjustified or even that this one is tho I personally think the guy shot before it was truly necessary. Still I think most people who are upset care little or not at all if it was a justified shooting. Also Rains County does have a leash law. If the dog bit the officer the owner would have been 100% liable for the dogs actions and if a private citizen had shot the dog when he was legally on the property there would be no legal action that could be successful. While the dog may not of bitten anyone no matter what, visitors don't always know your dog! If you have a dog that might bite you must have a shut gate and post warnings. The officer may be in the wrong. May. But this owner was also negligent.

The owner was in no way negligent. The dog was a stock dog and he can not work while on a leash. Evidence leaves little doubt here, the LEO was being a cowboy. This dog was not a danger. This LEO was given authority to enforce laws, but only in a responsible and prudent manner with respect for life. He failed.

BTW do you think the leo would have been so cavalier about shooting a 2000+ lb Charolais bull as he was a mere dog? I bet he would have acted entirely different.

[mojo84]

The sheriff would not have thrown the guy under the bus if he wasn't wrong in what he did.

Yeah because a boss has never thrown someone under a bus to save themselves or heck just because it's too much trouble to do otherwise.

"His career is ruined in this community. And there's been threats toward him, threats toward this department," Traylor said. "I think my officers would be in danger if he was still out there."

Yep just like he thought the guy was guilty before they even had time to investigate.

No credibility left! There no amount of investigating that would satisfy those that love to argue for the sake of arguing.