Dog Shot By Police
A Dogster member passed this on to me and when I took a look I was shocked to see it happened right near where I live.
A police officer shot and killed a dog who bit him while walking unleashed with her owner.
The owner of a dog shot and killed by an Acworth police officer says his four-legged best friend, Tomato, wasn’t vicious.
“She just showed up one Christmas Eve – a cold little puppy – and never left my side from then on,” Bower Taylor said Wednesday.
Tomato, a 39-pound Rottweiler-shepherd mix, was shot to death after she bit an officer on the knee more than a week ago.
Acworth police have said the officer was justified in shooting the unrestrained dog.
“He did what he had to do,” Officer Wayne Dennard said.
Taylor, a teacher, even took his pet to his school as part of a “how-to” writing lesson called “How to Train Your Dog.”
“She could be unleashed and hang out with 140 groping, jumpy 13-year-olds, no problem,” Taylor said.
The officer was on foot on Academy Street, near Acworth Beach, when he was bitten by Tomato.
Cobb County has a leash law, Taylor was issued a citation by animal control. He now owes $500 in fines. The officer bitten is fine, Tomato is still dead.
I realize how important leash laws are, they are there for a reason. Exactly to prevent what happened from happening. What if Tomato went after a child, who knows what injury the child would have sustained.
However, it says the dog bit the officer and was shot. I have to wonder if he was bit and Tomato let go and was shot or if she was attacking the officer. Yes, there is a difference to me. If she bit him and let go why couldn’t mace have been used? Was it necessary to kill the dog? If the dog was in full out attack mode that is totally different.
The bottom line is the dog paid for the mistake of the owner. I just wish I didn’t have a question hanging over me when it comes to the justification of the action taken by the officer.
Did the punishment fit the crime?
I think it is an over reaction. I run and I have been bitten by dogs. Not having a gun, I did not shoot those dogs, I might have been irked by it and angry at the owners, but I never thought that they deserved to die. And I really have to wonder if Tomato was in attack mode (if she was) without any provocation. Other forms of restraint would have sufficed.
Police need to be trained better. The dog probably could have been restrained in another way…..
I agree that police need more canine training. This was a jerk knee reaction that did not need to happen at all.
I just have to wonder about this. If Tomato spent time with 140 13 year olds and no problem. I have to think this policeman may have did something to cause the bite. Like they say a dog can tell a good person from a bad one, wonder if the policeman my be bad.
That poor dog! All he did was bite someone on the leg. If a human bites a cop on the leg, the cop probably wouldn’t shoot him! Maybe beat him off or spray some pepper spray, but blow his head off?
for sure dogs can tell what is in one’s heart. we take two of our girls EVERYWHERE (mostly NOT by choice), and while they wait for us in the car, they will bark at some folks and not at others when the people walk past the car. Sometimes they throw an absolute fit, funny, but the ones they DO bark at look like untrustworthy types to me too. I never trust a person my dogs don’t like, whether it’s a look, a posture or a smell, dogs KNOW. Don’t forget, they also can tell coyotes from other dogs and will hunt them and have a natural dislike for them. Dogs are a lot smarter than we(humans in general) ever thought, we’d do well to heed our furry friends more.
I’ll bet that cop was about to “cop an attitude” toward Tomato’s owner because she wasn’t on a leash.
Too many questions…why did she bite in the first place…being one of them. Terrible situation, doesn’t sound like more than a bite (?) and yet death of your best friend isn’t enough punishment.
Total over reaction on the cop’s part. The citation and fines
should have been sufficient. I also would like more details about the incident, such as whether the cop had done something to incite Tomato to bite him. I have respect for the law, but just because someone is a cop doesn’t necessarily make them trustworthy.
Once again I have to harp about people not obeying the leash laws. This wouldn’t have happened if Tomato’s owner had him on leash or contained in the yard.
Molly is always on leash or in the fenced yard and she’s never outside alone and unsupervised. Along with love and affection comes great responsibility.
Sorry-
the owner was TOTALLY at fault-
The dog BIT the police officer-
unless the officer was attacking the dog’s owner,( which I doubt…) then there was no excuse…
Then what could he have done to this wonderfully sweet dog to be bitten?
Maybe the owner should have been shot…
I am an Animal Behaviorist and have trained dogs for over 35 years- Mine are always leashed when in Public, to protect them as well as any one else…
The rude people I see that insist “their” dogs be allowed to be off leash are usually jerks and their dogs are usually not very trustworthy.
Poor Tomato. You paid for your owner’s mistake to not walk you on a leash and you paid for knowing how to tell a good man from a bad one. Why else would you have put your teeth on him? Dogs know. Nero is usually friendly towards everyone but he has growled and tried to lunge at some people. We shake our heads and wonder what got into him, just to see him greet another passer-by as if he were an old friend. Homer avoids people he perceives as bad apples. Anyways, one more reason to keep your dogs on the leash when going out for walks. My heart goes out to Bower Taylor for losing his best friend. And the cop? What is he going to do if a 3-year-old runs into him with his tricycle? He’s one sorry s.o.b., I wouldn’t trust him for my life. That dude has a dark agenda.
It seems that shooting Tomato is a bit over the edge, I’m not sure things needed to go that far ………. That being said what in the world would make her bite a Police Officer? Was it the uniform? Maybe she thought she was protecting her owner. Without actually seeing the events I can’t judge whether it was right or wrong but I do feel bad for the owner, seeing your best friend shot like that is very sad.
I agree .. dogs know they percieve things us humans do not I feel if you can shoot a dog you are capable of any crime at all yourself so why should someone like this be upholding the law? he abused his athority therefore should be held accountable too yes a fine for the owner because things could of been prevented too but loosing thier pet is punishment they will live with for quite awhile. the officer is probably not gib=ving it another thought and ther is nothing anyone can doo cause its his word agaist thiers and because hes an”officer” he wins its just plain not fair at all so sorry…. so very sorry
I agree that shooting Tomato was too much. If she can take a bunch of kids no problem then I’d say that officer did something to provoke the dog to bite. I get the feeling we’re not seeing the whole truth from the officer. Also, could be that before being taken in, as a pup, she witnessed some violence and guns, making her ill towards seeing one…..
It is sad that a good dog had to be killed in this manner. It is also unfortunate that we live in a world that allows cops to shoot first and ask questions later. I wonder what would have happened had the dog been on his leash and still bitten the cop. Maybe the owners life would also have been in danger. we can point fingers all we want but nothing can bring back this dog and his owner will suffer from his death for a while to come. I feel for him.
hmm… I feel like we are missing part of the story. Why if this dog has shown no agression tendices before suddenly bite a police officer?? Dogs can sense evil!! I am so sorry for Tomato and his owners. Rest in peace Tomato.
I do think that had Tomato been a pitbull or another large breed the media would have been all over this story, slaughtering the breed left and right. The media only pick and choose what dog breeds they want to destroy. I guess a 39 pound dog doesn’t count as dangerous but it proves a point. All dogs can bite and be consider dangerous in someone else’s eyes regardless of size.
While it is definitely the owner’s fault that his dog was killed – laws are there for a reason – it is obvious that the cop over-reacted as usual. I find that they do this more and more just to prove a point. Some people are bullies in life no matter what the do and to shoot a dog in cold blood in this manner is absurd. But of course, he was just doing his job – aren’t they all! Very sad.
Bottom line, the dog bit the officer–this all would not have happened if the dog was leashed. Laws are around for a reason–the officer is not a bad man for protecting himself. I know a few officers who have done the same in this situation–it’s a dangerous world especially for a police officer.
The owner is at fault for not having the dog leashed but shooting the dog is a blatant over-reaction. All officers I’ve ever seen carry mace or pepper spray, a taser, a stun gun…any of those could have been used if the dog was still attacking and would not let go. If he dog had already let go, then ANY force against the dog is over-reaction.
Leash laws exist to protect the public and the dog. Dogs should not be off-leash in pubic, no matter how well behaved they normally are. Somthing obviously set this dog off – you have to expect the unexpected and prepare for things like this by keeping the dog controlled.
This does seem to smell fishy…I wish they’d said more about what led up to the attack. Did the officer speak to the owner and have a threatening posture that the dog interpreted as an attack? Did he do or say something to the dog? All the details need to be included.
I feel total over reaction by info given. How devastating for the dog and his owner whatever the reason he was shot. Keep your pups on leash & stay aware folks. Dogs do sense danger and this poor boy paid with his life. Very sad.