eric

If you read some of the related links of my latest post, there is another story saying the cop in question has been re-assigned to "administrative duty". Supposedly, from the video, the time between the dog jumping out of the car and the officer shooting him was 3 seconds.

Here's the story written by another paper with some additional details. I have nothing but respect for most cops, but as with any organization, there are some bad apples. This particular gentleman is obviously unsuited to being a police officer. The worst thing is, probably nothing will happen. Now I'm freaked out about traveling in my car with my dogs. The dogs were bulldogs. printable version police/prisons news 'Felony stop' leaves family traumatized by repost

A horror story from CNN. I think I would snap. I'd probably be screaming "I'm going to kill you!" and stuff like that. This guy needs to be fired. Next time its going to be some innocent person. Video shows police killing dog Family considering legal action against police, highway patrol COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) --Police video released Wednesday showed a North Carolina family kneeling and handcuffed, who shrieked as officers killed their dog -- which appeared to be playfully wagging its tail -- with a shotgun during a traffic stop. The Smoak family was pulled over the evening of January 1 on Interstate 40 in eastern Tennessee by officers who mistakenly suspected them of a carjacking. An investigation showed James Smoak had simply left his wallet on the roof of his car at a gas station, and motorists who saw his money fly off the car as he drove away called police. The family was driving through eastern Tennessee on their way home from a New Year trip to Nashville. They told CNN they are in the process of retaining a lawyer and considering legal action against the Cookeville, Tennessee, Police Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol for what happened to them and their dog. In the video, released by the highway patrol, officers are heard ordering the family, one by one, to get out of their car with their hands up. James Smoak and his wife, Pamela, and 17-year-old son Brandon are ordered onto their knees and handcuffed. "What did I do?" James Smoak asks the officers. "Sir, inside information is that you was involved in some type of robbery in Davidson County," the unidentified officer says. Smoak and his wife protest incredulously, telling the officers that they are from South Carolina and that their mother and father-in-law are traveling in another car near them. The Smoaks told CNN that as they knelt, handcuffed, they pleaded with officers to close the doors of their car so their two dogs would not escape, but the officers did not heed them. Pamela Smoak is seen on the tape looking up at an officer, telling him slowly, "That dog is not mean. He won't hurt you." Her husband says, "I got a dog in the car. I don't want him to jump out." The tape then shows the Smoaks' medium-size brown dog romping on the shoulder of the Interstate, its tail wagging. As the family yells, the dog, named Patton, first heads away from the road, then quickly circles back toward the family. An officer in a blue uniform aims his shotgun at the dog and fires at its head, killing it immediately. For several moments, all that is audible are shrieks as the family reacts to the shooting. James Smoak even stands up, but officers pull him back down. "Y'all shot my dog! Y'all shot my dog!" James Smoak cries. "Oh my God! God Almighty!" "You shot my dog!" screams his wife, distraught and still handcuffed. "Why'd you kill our dog?" "Jesus, tell me, why did y'all shoot my dog?" James Smoak says. The officers bring him to the patrol car, and the family calms down, but still they ask the officers for an explanation. One of them says Patton was "going after" the officer. "No he wasn't, man," James Smoak says. "Y'all didn't have to kill the dog like that." Brandon told CNN that Patton, was playful and gentle -- "like Scooby-Doo" -- and may have simply gone after the beam of the flashlight as he often did at home, when Brandon and the dog would play. The Tennessee Department of Safety, which oversees the Highway Patrol, has said an investigation is underway. 'Could have been avoided' Cookeville Police Chief Robert Terry released a statement on the department's Web site Wednesday night describing the department's regret over the incident. The Cookeville Police Department site was not responding Thursday morning. "I know the officer wishes that circumstances could have been different so he could have prevented shooting the dog," Terry wrote. "It is never gratifying to have to put an animal down, especially a family pet, and the officer assures me that he never displayed any satisfaction in doing so." Terry said he and the vice-mayor of Cookeville met with the family before they left "to convey our deepest sympathies" for the loss of their dog. "No one wants to experience this kind of thing, and it's very unfortunate that it occurred," he wrote. "If we had the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure some -- if not all of this -- could have been avoided. I believe the Tennessee Highway Patrol feels the same way." The department is conducting an investigation to determine what, if anything, could have been done differently, he said. Police also plan to be in contact with the Smoak family, Terry said. The Smoaks buried their pet at home. A white cross marks the grave

I assume first of all that you do pick up after your dogs. Did you explain the situation to your super? That should be your first step, just to protect yourself seeing as she has already made a complaint. Go talk to him/her and explain the situation. Try writing her a letter and slipping it under her door. There's a small chance she'll actually read it and understand. Doubtful, but you never know. If she keeps it up, make a complaint against her. You do, after all, have the right to go outside without being harassed by your neighbor. Keep making complaints until the super goes and talks to her. Finally, if all else fails, maybe she would leave you alone if she thought you were a little crazy. As a last resort, maybe turning around and telling her to "shut the F##% up" would get you peace.

Its like that game where you have these cards with something written out phonetically on and you have to try and figure out what the card says. :D

So sorry for your loss. Perhaps too good for this world... Try and enjoy these last few days and hours with him.

Excellent post. Reminds me of the "Treating a dog like a dog" post. Failure to recognize your dog's doggy instincts/mentality will lead to problems. Your post reminds me of last nights incident at my parents in-laws. We had brought the boys with us for X-mas dinner at my inlaws. My brother-in-laws kids (three of them 7, 9, and 14) had finished early and were playing in the other room with the boys. As some point, my brother-in-law goes to check on the kids and comes back and tells us in an accusatory tone that Sam scratched one of the kids on the cheek, right below her eye. I'm thinking to myself "Right. The dog I can trust with duckings is suddenly a menace with kids". My wife gets up to go investigate. Being a grade 1 teacher, she can be an excellent interrogator of children. So she starts asking questions. What happened? The kids were trying to get him to get up on his back legs. They were trying all sorts of things until stumbled across the right command, "Stand up". So the kids told Sam to "stand up" and good old Sam did exactly what he was told; he stood up on his back legs. Mind you, he's a 90 lbs dog and not being a natural biped, he tends to reach out to steady himself. Well, when he did so he accidently got one of the kids in the face with his paw. My wife came back and told my brother-in-law, in front of everyone, that Sam was simply doing what he was told and if his kids couldn't behave properly with the dogs then perhaps they should be moved to another room where they could be watched.

"MOMMY!!!! MOMMY!!!! I CAN HEAR YOU!!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME??? I LOVE YOU MOMMY, PLEASE COME BACK!!! WHATEVER I DID I'M SORRY!! PLEASE COME BACK MOMMY!!" Just in case you didn't feel guilty enough about this. :P BTW, saw a Shiba for the first time at the dog park. Don't take this the wrong way, but I had to laugh. It was so cute. The owners had obviously spent alot of time grooming it so its coat was perfect; very "poofy". It looked like a little teddy bear. Alot smaller than I thought, based on your pictures. Seemed like a really nice dog, very pleasant and happy. If my dogs looked like that I wouldn't want them to get dirty. :) [quote name='gigishiba']Oh you have NO clue! :roll: :lol:[/quote]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say get a mix. You will avoid many of the hereditary problems common in pure breed dogs, especially as you get to the bigger dogs. German Shepherds are wonderful dogs (I have one I rescued from the Animal Shelter) but they are hardly a dog a would recommend to just anyone. They are aloof of strangers, can be fear biters, and (depending on the lineage) can be very prone to hip problems. Regardless of the breed or mix of breeds you decide, spend some time looking at the "temperment" section of the breed standard. That will tell you what to expect.

Love them as though they are human, but be patient with them as though they were animals. In my opinion, the best relationship you can have with your dog is if you understand that he/she is different. They have different motivations, needs and desire. To fail to understand their unique psychology is an invitation to problems and frustration. So many times I see so called "problem dogs" where the real problem lies with the owner failing to understand the psychology of his/her dog. At the leash-free area we went to yesterday, this golden stole my glove. The owner was frantically running after the dog trying to get my glove back. Needless to say, the golden thought this was a great game. After a few minutes of this, I asked the owner if I could try. He stopped chasing, I pulled out a bag of liver treats, and "traded" for my glove. He just looked at me in amazement.

Nah. Easy way out. Better to have him share a cell with some enormous, frighteningly well-endowed gentlemen who thinks "he's real purty" and whose favorite movie is Deliverance. "C'mon boy, squeal like a pig!" [quote name='roo']Jefferson's lawyer, Russell Paisley, said his client's actions were those of someone under the influence of drugs. It would be so much cheaper if they overdosed him his favourite type wouldn't it :lol:[/quote]

My deepest condolences. I wish you the best in this most difficult time.

The ironic thing is that there have been several recent studies which show that young offenders/inmates that are given a dog to train and/or look after are much less likely to re-offend. I forget the exact numbers, but with young offenders it was something like a 70% reduction.

Small world. LAWS (Lanark Animal Welfare Society) is where we got Zeke. This is the shelter I was talking about in my previous posts. Its about 30 minutes from my place. [quote name='gigishiba']LAWS would appreciate circulation of the enclosed petition, which should be returned when completed to LAWS, Box 256, Lanark, Ontario KOG IKO. Dawn Trent [url]http://www.falls.igs.net/~animals/newsletter_fall99.html[/url][/quote]

Unfortunately, very doubtful. We had a case here a few years ago where a "breeder" got so fed up with one of her dogs running away that she tied the poor thing to the bumper of her car and took the dog for a "drive". The poor dog suffered all sorts of injuries and the Humane Society was called in. At the end of the day, she got a fine and was able to regain possession of her dog as *it* was her *property*. I think we need a shift in the current laws and stop seeing animal cruelty as an isolated act but rather as part of a larger problem. Cruelty to animals (esp. dogs and cats) is a strong indicator that this person is likely to move on to more serious crimes later on. Do some research on serial killers and you will find that a majority of them tortured and killed animals when younger. Jeffrey Dahlmer, as an example, was brutally killing neighborhood cats and dissecting them as a teenager. In my opinion, someone who enjoys torturing an animal is someone who is a borderline sociopath and is going to graduate to hurting people. For a purely logical, its just an animal point of view, punishing someone for torturing an animal is a way of telling that particular individual that this type of behaviour is wrong and that society will not tolerate it, regardless of the victim. In Canada, the federal government is trying to pass a new law which would increase the maximum prison time for animal cruelty from 6 months to 5 years. I think this would be a good start. [quote name='bk_blue'][quote name='eric']"I've had pets all my life," Justice James Yates said. "I was just as sickened as anyone else when I read the stories." [/quote] Hope he would do the same thing if it was a straight-up animal cruelty case, and not let the bastard get away with a slap on the wrist. :roll:[/quote]

Its not clear to me why your dog is running loose to begin with. If your dog is outside, she should either be in a fenced-in area or tied up. To have your dog running loose is extremely dangerous for your dog. Sooner or later, your dog is going to run out after someone who considers her to be a very real threat and they may do what is necessary to protect/defend themselves. It also puts you at a very serious risk of litigation if she ever ends up biting someone. There's also the risk that she will dart across the road and get hit by someone's car. Out of curiosity, do you not have leash laws where you live? In Canada, what you are describing is illegal and is grounds for having by-law enforcement show up, write you some tickets, and take the dog away if the situation persists. If you really, really want to leave her loose out in the yard then you need to invest in an "Invisible fence" to ensure she remains on the property. This is for her safety and well-being. I understand your desire for protection and deterrence, as my wife also feels much more comfortable being home alone with three large breed dogs. However, I would suggest that encouraging your dog to bark incessantly at everyone who walks by your home is an invitation for a paper bag full a dog food and antifreeze.

Copied from CNN. Merry Christmas, @sshole. NEW YORK (AP) -- A man who threw his girlfriend's dog off her 23rd-floor balcony was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for animal cruelty and other charges related to stalking the woman. John Jefferson, 43, pleaded guilty December 5 to robbery, burglary, stalking, criminal contempt and animal cruelty. The judge said two of the 12 years were for the dog, Ribsy. "I've had pets all my life," Justice James Yates said. "I was just as sickened as anyone else when I read the stories." The judge also ordered five years of parole supervision for Jefferson and signed an order of protection that directs him to stay away from ex-girlfriend Eugenia Miller for the next 17 years. Jefferson tossed the 16-year-old black and white terrier-poodle mix to its death on May 26 during an argument with Miller. Ribsy landed in the concrete plaza below and died instantly. Jefferson also barricaded himself inside the apartment and threatened Miller with a knife, police said at the time. "I am sorry," Jefferson said in court Thursday. "I was totally messed up, emotionally disturbed. I just lost it." Jefferson pleaded guilty to burglary in connection with his forcible entry into the apartment, and his plea to the robbery charge was for a May 22 knifepoint holdup. The stalking charge arose from his harassment of Miller earlier. Jefferson's lawyer, Russell Paisley, said his client's actions were those of someone under the influence of drugs.

Well, I'm a little bit jealous because it would seem that as far as Travis is concerned, I'm on my own. Get close to Mommy though, and you're asking for trouble. [quote name='bk_blue'] Eric- Rinny (GSD X) used to do the same thing whenever "his" people- my stepmum and stepsister- hugged anyone ie. my family in his presence. He got upset if anyone looked as though they were overpowering them, and he would bark and carry on... though he got used to it in a few weeks.[/quote]

There is a product called "scat mat", [url]www.scatmat.com[/url], which is basically a mat with a number of wires embedded into it. When your dog steps on the mat, it gives him/her a mild electric shock. You place it on the floor in an area you want to keep you pet away from, i.e.: in front of the X-mas tree, et voila. Of course, how you feel about giving your dog electric shocks is a different matter... Have you taught your dog "off"? I taught my dogs "off" at an early age and when we put the tree up the first time I let them explore it but gave them a stern "off" when they went to grab something. They haven't touched the tree since.

Its called "Snow Nose". My GSD Travis goes through this every year. Durning the summer, his nose will be more or less solid black. But come winter, he develops a lighter colored vertical strip between his nostrils. We took him to our vet the first time it happened because we got freaked out. She looked it up in this big reference book and they had a picture that matched exactly what Travis had. Its just pigmentation. It supposedly quite common in a number of breeds.

What is it with women and big dogs? When we were having our media room built this past summer, we had a number of men coming and going. Travis would usually bark at them when they first came in, then settle down and just watch. However, if any of the men started approaching my wife, Travis would immediately start growling and making "ugly faces". It was funny to see these big burly workmen stop dead in their tracks and go all white. Nothing like 120 lbs of angry GSD to make you pause and carefully consider your next move. He does the same thing with my sister-in-laws dog, Sissy. My sis-in-law rescued an elderly bitch, and for some reason Sissy does not like Sam at all. Everything was fine until she snapped at Sam and nipped his face right in front of Travis. I think at that point Travis decided: "Ok lady, you're a threat." From that point on, whenever Sissy dog gets close to my wife, Travis puts himself in between and starts growling etc. The last time we were together she tried to squeeze past my wife and the kitchen table and I think Travis thought it was an attack. He immediately grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and we had a little altercation. Thankfully, no one was hurt but Sissy kept her distance after that. The funny thing is that if my wife is not nearby, they're fine. Travis and Sissy will be standing side by side ignoring each other. The other funny thing he does is "escort" strangers, be they dog or human. My in-laws have an old border collie mix that they bring with them when they come over. She a pleasant old gal. Anyhow, when she's at our place Travis escorts her around the house. He just follows her everywhere and watches her. He doesn't interact with her in any way, just watches her. It funny to see.

HAHA. Liked the GSD one...

Hey guys, Has anybody ever seen an indoors automatic waterers for dogs that can be hooked up to the household plumbing? We've got one of those gravity-feed waterers but with my three boys it is constantly running empty. I swear I fill that thing four times a day. There must be a kit out there that taps into the existing plumbing much in the same way that the ice/water dispensing fridges do.

Sorry to hear that. I hope everything will be ok. Try to eliminate anything new in his diet and see if it clears up.

Yeah, it seems to be a fairly powerful sensation. It reminds me of this one time my business partners and I went to visit a client. This client was the president of his own little company and brought his two GSD bitches into work with him every day. Very sweet girls. So we go there and I'm like the only dog person (aside from this client) so I'm playing with and talking to the dogs. Anyhow, we start the meeting and the dogs follow us in. We're at this big table in the conference room, and one of the dogs goes under the table and comes up between my legs to get some more attention. I start rubbing her head, scratching her neck, etc, but nobody else can see the dog. So here we are, quietly discussing business, and without even thinking I stick my fingers into the dog's ear and start rubbing. All of a sudden, in this very quiet room, the dog, in a very loud and prolonged fashion, goes: "Huuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnn". The conversation immediately stops, and everyone turns to look at me, hands out of sight and apparently in my lap. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, I manage to blurt out: "Its the dog", and the conversation slowly resumes. I refrained from doing that again. [quote name='bk_blue'] Ha ha! This is EXACTLY what Rinny does. He collapses against you if you do this to him, it makes him weak at the knees!!! I also do it to Bk to calm him down, it makes him all sleepy and yawny. The other thing Bk loves is me scratching the base of his tail. It's got to the point where he will sometimes come over and stick his bum in my face, instead of his head! :o[/quote]