Pit Bull shot by Police in Ft. Worth

Pits in the news and info on Breed Specific Legislation.

Postby cheekymunkee » November 16th, 2006, 2:30 pm

A cop shot this dog ( which I can totally understand), they showed the video of the ACO lifting the bleeding dog into his struck by the catch pole & loose skin on it's back. It was truly sickening to view the video. They took the dog to the shelter & left it, where it died about two hours later. It had no tags but WAS chipped but no-one checked it. The dog was not struggling or acting aggressive in the video as it was being loaded into the truck. VERY sad story

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/16009143.htm

Slain pit bull's owner thinks dog was 'provoked'By BILL MILLER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH -- Manuel Cardona said he didn't hear any gunfire in his neighborhood overnight; it was the bright lights of television news crews outside his southside home that stirred him at about 3:30 a.m.

``I started yelling my dog's name,'' Cardona said Tuesday afternoon. ``Then a reporter came up to me and said `Excuse me, are you looking for a white pit bull?' I said yes and the reporter said, `That's why we're here, to do a story about the shooting of a white pit bull.' ''

Cardona would later learn that 6-year-old Bud was shot and killed by a police officer at about 1:30 a.m. in the alley behind his home in the 700 block of Pafford Street.

Police said officers were responding to a call of a suspicious person in the neighborhood, but were ``charged by an unrestrained pit bull.''

An officer shot the dog in self defense, according to the reports. It died of wounds to the head and body shortly after it was taken to the city's animal shelter, said Amy Casas, a spokeswoman for the animal control department.

Cardona and his wife, Judy, were on the verge of tears Tuesday afternoon as they described grief and confusion over Bud's death.

The Cardona's said Bud did bark at passers-by, but he never jumped the fence. They said he was a gentle pet to their four children, ages 1 to 16.

``I just feel he got provoked,'' he said. ``He's not going to jump the fence for nothing.''

An animal control officer was summoned to take the dog to the shelter, 4900 Martin St., because it had no license tags and officers could not locate its owners, Casas said.

She added that city ordinances require residents to restrain their pets and vaccinate them to prevent rabies. The city also requires pets to be licensed, which ensures there will be owner contact information in a city database.

The Cardonas said Bud was licensed and vaccinated. Manuel said, however, that he didn't think his dog needed tags on his collar as long as he stayed in the yard.

He added that Bud had a microchip beneath the skin between his shoulders. The family had it implanted a couple years ago after Bud was stolen, but recovered two months later.

``A dog catcher can just scan him and the information about us is supposed to pop up,'' he said.

Not knowing where Bud was taken, the Cardona's turned on their TV and saw him in a newscast, bloodied but still standing on wobbly legs.

``I thought, `He'll be alright, they'll fix him up,' '' Judy said. ``I thought we were going to have him forever.''

They subsequently learned he was taken to the shelter, but he died there a short time later.

But even if the dog's wounds weren't fatal, it would not have received medical care until about 8 a.m. when the shelter's veterinary technician arrives for work, Casas said.

``Unfortunately,'' she said, ``we don't have a 24-hour vet on call with the shelter, for many reasons, including budgetary constraints.''

Judy Cardona said she wished she could have taken Bud to one of the 24-hour vets listed in the phone book, even though he was in grave condition.

``You still got to try,'' she said. ``I still have the right to do what I could. He was part of our family.''

``We're very saddened by this situation,'' Casas said. ``We know the owners cared for this animal very much and we're not doubting that one bit.

``But, unfortunately, this was a situation when the officer had to act on instincts, and officer safety is something we hold in high regard.''

Bill Miller, (817) 390-7684
wmiller@star-telegram.com
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cheekymunkee
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Postby Jenn » November 16th, 2006, 2:51 pm

:( That is very sad, poor dog.
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