Should a cop be allowed to shoot a dog in self defense?

Yes, if the dog was threatening it
should have been shot.

No, the officer had
other options.

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Background:

posted 12-27-2011 by Writtenin1981

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Some citizens of Gillespie, Illinois are up in arms after a police officer shot a dog. The dog, who belonged to a little girl in the neighborhood, showed up on a neighbor's porch acting menacingly. Police were called, and the dog ultimately charged one of the officers, forcing him to open fire. Did he do the right thing or did he have an itchy trigger finger?

Debate It! 4

If your in a threatening situation where the dog could seriously harm you or even kill you, shoot it.

Posted By polerberr, 12-28-2011 (4 months)

I agree with the polerberr. The dog posed a threat. You don't have time to stop and see if he will heel for you. So you shoot first and ask questions later. I'd rather an innocent dog be shot than a police officer be mauled to death.

Posted By Writtenin1981, 12-28-2011 (4 months)

In that kind of situation you go into survival mode otherwise known as fight or flight and you only have seconds to respond/react to the situation at the moment. If I were the cop I too would of probably shot the dog; however I do not know for sure for I never been in that kind of situation. The only thing I would say he could of done differently is if the police officer had a taser then he could of use that on the dog, but I do not know if they are affective on animals like they are on humans.

Posted By Bioshockman17, 02-03-2012 (3 months)