cop shoots dog at dog park

[craigntx]

Federal police officer shot dog in Arundel park - baltimoresun.com
victim:

Stunned dog owners and residents of a Severn neighborhood are shocked that authorities won't be charging a federal police officer who shot and killed a Siberian husky Monday night at a community dog park.

Bear-Bear, a brown and white husky that was about 3 years old, was playing in the Quail Run dog park at about 6:30 p.m., running off leash inside the fenced-in area, when the officer and his wife arrived with a German shepherd, who was kept on a leash. When the dogs began to play roughly, the federal officer asked Bear-Bear's guardian, his owner's brother, to call off the dog. But before he could do anything, the officer pulled out a gun and shot Bear-Bear, according to the husky's owner.

Bear-Bear, who belongs to Rachel Rettaliata, died of his injuries a few hours later. County police did not name the federal officer.

"I've been bawling my eyes out since 7 p.m. last night," Rettaliata said. "It's grief mixed with anger. We're so angry this guy was able to take our animal for what we feel was no reason at all.

"We still don't believe that he's gone. We just want so badly to be diligent about this. [The officer] has to pay some sort of consequence for his foolishness."

A spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Police Department said no charges will be filed and investigators found no evidence of criminal activity.

Rettaliata adopted Bear-Bear about two years ago from a husky rescue. He'd been seized from a Delaware home where people had tied him up outside, largely leaving him to fend for himself in the elements.

Tiffany Greco, who fostered the young Bear-Bear and placed him with the Rettaliata family, said the husky had led a hard-knock life, starved and neglected, with mats in his long fur the size of softballs. But even though he was mistreated, she said he never became aggressive around people or dogs.

"He was a very lovey-dovey, happy-go-lucky guy," Greco said, adding that Bear-Bear at least had a taste of a good life with the Rettaliatas. "All this dog wanted to do was curl up on top of you."

She said that huskies have a rough way of playing that, to people who don't know them, can seem intimidating.

"They have a much different play style than other dogs," she said. "They're a rough-and-tumble breed. They're mouthy. Often people interpret that as being aggressive when it's really them just playing."

In the Quail Run community of townhomes, a number of residents have dogs that they walk to the community dog park. Neighbors say the park is generally an easygoing place where well-mannered dogs play with one another.

Bear-Bear was a regular there.

Tarnna Hernandez saw Bear-Bear all the time. She lives two doors down from the Rettaliatas and Bear-Bear plays with her children and Marshmallow, her year-and-a-half-old Dalmatian/Australian shepherd mix.

"I've never personally seen him be aggressive toward any dog or human or anything, for that matter," Hernandez said. "My two very young children love Bear-Bear and would attack him every time they saw him with hugs and love."

She can't believe Bear-Bear would ever do anything to deserve being shot.

"I have not seen that dog hurt anyone. Or snarl. He's never even barked," she said. "His only way was to get out a gun out and shoot him? Uh-uh. It's completely unbelievable."

Dorothy Pearce, the homeowner's association manager, was appalled that someone would fire a gun in the community dog park — at dinnertime.

"This is tragic," she said. "A community of homeowners with children playing around should not have gun-crazy, off-duty policemen shooting in their area, especially a dog in a controllable situation."

Rettaliata said that after the officer shot Bear-Bear, the dog didn't yelp or cry, just lay down in the grass, bleeding heavily. "He just went and laid down," she said. "I just can't get over it and I don't think it's being taken seriously because it was an animal involved."

Carolyn Kilborn, chairwoman of the organization Maryland Votes for Animals, based in nearby Annapolis, thought the authorities should be investigating the case thoroughly.

"The killing of the dog in Severn is a sad situation that should be investigated carefully to determine if the incident was caused by a dangerous dog or a dangerous person," she said.

 

[Big Bo]

Payback always works.

 

[DetroitBusa]

So because hes a cop he gets away with it?

So if I have a dog at a dog park and someone else dog starts playing rough, I can just pull out a gun a shoot it?

Messed up stuff man.

 

[djsin]

idiot...the owner should not have had the dog off leash...but that doesn't warrant the dog getting shot to death...pretty sure a police canine German shepherd wasn't in to much harm from the husky

 

[DetroitBusa]

idiot...the owner should not have had the dog off leash...but that doesn't warrant the dog getting shot to death...pretty sure a police canine German shepherd wasn't in to much harm from the husky

The dog parks around my house are there to allow other dog to play unleashed with each other.

 

[Djxtrodinaire]

djsin a dog park is a fenced area that you are allow to have your dog run around with other dogs without a leash.

I just looked the place up on google map and there is a fenced dog area.

 

[Brokenchickenleg]

People should hear both sides of the story before blaming the officer.

 

[craigntx]

People should hear both sides of the story before blaming the officer.

yeah.
maybe bear bear was going for his gun???

 

[DetroitBusa]

yeah.
maybe bear bear was going for his gun???

x2 I'd like to hear the cops story.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Can't get thru this without crying !
I think if someone shot my dog at a dog park I would without thought and instinctively shoot them immediately and later claim temp insanity.

Sure there's two sides but I don't see the other one yet and so far it just seems that a frisky husky was shot ?

Guess this is another place on the list of dangerous places visited we must now carry our owns guns , the dog park !

I'm gonna Rosie my chihuahua (who's been known to terrify police shepards) a shirt that says 'warning my owner shoots back'

 

[KvHotDog4]

Can't get thru this without crying !
I think if someone shot my dog at a dog park I would without thought and instinctively shoot them immediately and later claim temp insanity.

Plus a million here, it would just be a reaction, "oops. . . umm sorry he was getting aggressive and I feared for my life.....umm..so.... bang!"

 

[Brokenchickenleg]

Bear-Bear, a brown and white husky that was about 3 years old, was playing in the Quail Run dog park at about 6:30 p.m., running off leash inside the fenced-in area, when the officer and his wife arrived with a German shepherd, who was kept on a leash. When the dogs began to play roughly, the federal officer asked Bear-Bear's guardian, his owner's brother, to call off the dog. But before he could do anything, the officer pulled out a gun and shot Bear-Bear, according to the husky's owner.


Anyone else notice that in the above paragraph the owner's brother was in custody of the dog at the scene but it is the owner (who apparently wasn't present at the time) who is giving the details for the story? Like I said Craigntx, I like to hear both sides and do my own investigating before I accept one persons story as a fact.

 

[Busa1166]

playing rough or did the dogs start fighting ???? 1 dog owner has his dog under control an the other dog is out of control with no owner.

 

[dmrowe]

The dog parks around my house are there to allow other dog to play unleashed with each other.

djsin, this is why they have 'dog parks' so the dogs can run and play off leash and socialize. If this azzhat federal cop didn't like his dog playing he should have never taken him to the park. Azzhat should have pulled his dog (which the article says was on a leash) away and gotten out of the park. Sure there are two sides to every story, but this federal cop had a gun and used it so there had better be some overwhelming evidence that he feared for he or his dogs life. Personally I think it was uncalled for and outragious, the ramifications of discharging your weapon in public should call for a suspension and diciplinary hearing. Azzhats who go to public dog parks and then get PO'd because their dog doesn't play well tick me off. Shepherds are alot more agressive than any Huskie, Malamute or mix thereof that I have ever seen and I have owned 6 over my adult life.

 

[RussellJ]

This is outrageous. What is with people these days. Beautiful husky dog... a shame it was a victim of some dumb*** cop being an idiot...

 

[craigntx]

police report released

Unleashed: Original Bear-Bear police report released - Pets in Baltimore: Dogs, cats, animal shelters and rescues in Maryland by reporter Jill Rosen - baltimoresun.com

The Anne Arundel County police just released an update that included a release of the original police report of the Bear-Bear shooting by a federal officer Monday night at a Severn dog park. It also included a bit of information on where the case now stands. I'll link to the police report as soon as we can get it online. In the meantime, here's the rest of what the police say, verbatim:

(Update, 8:36 p.m.: Here's the link to the PDF of the police report)


The Anne Arundel County Police Department is releasing a redacted copy of the initial police report into this incident. The incident report outlines the initial response and the initial investigation into the incident. A supplemental, initial investigative report is also being released, entailing a description of a briefing with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding the facts of the initial report.

Based on the information that the police department had at the time, officers marked the investigation closed, however, they contacted the State’s Attorney’s Office and requested a review of the initial facts in the case. After conferring with the State’s Attorney’s Office, based on the information at the time, officers were instructed not to file charges and subsequently marked the initial investigation closed.




Media inquires into the incident were made to the police department prior to the initial report being forward to the police department’s Central Records Section. Media accounts of this incident came to the attention of County Executive John R. Leopold, who immediately called the chief of police. County Executive Leopold directed the police department to ensure that a thorough investigation was conducted.

The initial police report was forwarded through the police department’s chain of command at which time commanders requested further inquiry into whether the off-duty federal officer was legally authorized to carry a firearm while off-duty in the state of Maryland. During the initial investigation, it appeared the off-duty federal officer was legally authorized to carry a firearm, however, during the follow-up investigation his legal authority to carry a firearm became questionable.

To date, investigators have conducted additional interviews, crime scene examination and have looked extensively into the off-duty federal officer’s employment and eligibility to carry a firearm off-duty in the state of Maryland. Investigators have been in constant contact with the State’s Attorney’s Office throughout this follow-up investigation and investigators have turned over documentation and information learned during the follow-up investigation into the incident. This has enabled the State’s Attorney’s Office to begin their legal review of the facts of this incident. The police department anticipates concluding its investigation within the next 72 hours and officially turning over the complete findings to the State’s Attorney’s Office, however, investigators will remain engaged with the State’s Attorney’s Office and will assist them with any further investigative needs.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. The name of the off-duty federal officer and the 9-1-1 tape are not being released due to the open investigation. No additional information is being released at this time.

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[merisey]

can you not call the cops on cops? He deserves a wicked beatn'

 

[RussellJ]

I gotta stop looking at this. I see the dogs picture and just creates anger for anyone who would just shoot a dog so unnecessarily...

My family had 4 dogs, one recently passed and just couldnt imagine if it was one of them shot.....

 

[Poppy]

We are only hearing one side. Plus, it does not state anywhere that the german shepard was a police dog, as someone "assumed".

The owner was not present but she has all the facts? Quotes from animal rights spokeperson....this is slanted to say the least.

I find it disturbing, but normal, that some folks are making judgement based on scarce facts and by reading a slanted article.

 

[busa matt]

that would be one sorry cop if he would shoot my boy. i dont care if the dogs were fighting... you break it up. for god sakes he is a cop. when people start fighting do you shoot them??? or simply do your job and break it up. this is someone who should not be able to carry a pistol. and why exactly do you need to carry at a dog park with your wife??