I love dogs, even though I once had my shoulder nearly ripped from its socket by a dog in the front yard of a neighbor's house
That being said , certainly some officershootsdog incidents are not justified.
But many are.
Thankfully, we now have a lot of people videoing cops, so bad shoots are more likely to be discovered as such and good shoots (as if any dog shooting could be "good" . they are horrible. I of course mean JUSTIFIED)
Here's one where not only is it justified, but the owner admits it i s, after seeing the video
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Caught-on-camera-Dog-attacks-police-officer-in-Idaho-171397761.html
http://www.ktvb.com/news/crime/RAW-VIDEO-Officer-shoots-pit-bull-in-self-defense-171395861.html
thank god for cops who get to wear body cameras
Imo, this is clearly justified. He doesn't shoot until the dog lunges at him at point blank range
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...ing-incident-does-it-help-exonerate-the-cops/
A lot of people think the nimrod was arresting for filming the police. Rubbish. The guy who shot the video here was videotaping without a problem and others were fine doing whatever they wanted, across the street. The issue was he got too close to their felony stop, was repeatedly told to get out of there, etc.
My partner had to shoot a dog a few years ago. He was devastated. It's an awful thing, but dogs can inflict nasty injuries and especially where they think their owner is under attack (which is what an arrest would appear to a dog), they can get very violent.
I am first in line to punish a cop for shooting a dog where it's not justified.
Dog Bite Stats
•According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Humane Society of the United States, there are about 4.7 million dog bites every year in the U.S. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities.
•Approximately 800,000 people seek medical attention for dog bites in the U.S. every year -- about 1,000 people require emergency care for dog bite injuries every day (according to a study produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality).
•About half of those injured in dog attacks are children. The rate of dog bite accidents is highest for those between the ages of 5-9 (according to the American Veterinary Medical Association).
•Nearly 2/3 of injuries among children ages 4 and younger are to the head or neck region, because of their height. Injuries are higher for boys than for girls.
•According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of Americans hospitalized for dog bites nearly doubled over a 15-year period. The average cost of a dog bite-related hospital stay was $18,200. There were 4 times as many dog bite-related ER visits and 3 times as many hospital stays in rural areas than in urban areas.
•In the US, the most frequent victims of dog bite attacks are:
1.Children
2.The Elderly
3.Postal Service Carriers
•Dog bite victims account for as much as 5% of all emergency room visits in the United States.