reply to post by knowonder
A local police officer shot a dog yesterday in our community as well. A Boxr (in the owner's front yard)! Neighbors called to complain, the officer
came and felt "threatened" by the Boxer...
Who was really threatened??? The DOG! The Dog Owner!!!
This is just bull Chit!
Dog Shot By Police
Mary Stackhouse Staff Writer
5:11 PM CDT, August 3, 2010
DECATUR - A family of three's pet boxer is recovering at an animal hospital in Decatur after they say it was shot by a police officer yesterday.
Buster's owner, Ron Toelken, says it happened right in his front yard on Cornville Road in Decatur, just before noon.
"I walked down by the fence, and the officer was standing there with a smoking gun in his hand pretty much," said Toelken. "I asked him, surely you
didn't just use that on my dog, and he said, well yes sir, I did."
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Earlier that day, Ron says he recieved a call that a neighbor had contacted animal control because his dog was loose. According to Decatur police Lt.
Jonathan Green, an officer arrived soon after and say that Buster and another one of Toelken's dogs were disturbing some neighbors.
"There was an elderly female who came out of her house. The dogs saw her and turned their attention to her and charged her. That's when the officer
acted," said Green.
As soon as the officer stepped out of his vehicle, Green says the dog lunged at him aggressively. That's when he says the dog was shot.
"He was there to protect the public, but once his life was threatened, well, he had to protect and defend himself," he said.
Still, Ron says the shooting was uncalled for and believes that the officer overracted.
"He may have gotten out of the car expecting that it was automatically a dangerous animal, but had he knelt down and said come here, everything would
have been okay," said Toelken.
Decatur police say theyhave received complaints in the past about Toelken's dogs roaming free. Toelken says he always keeps his dogs locked up in the
backyard, but on this occasion, the door hadn't been closed completely.