TheRedQueen wrote:But...wouldn't *trying* a non-lethal method first be the best idea...
if the dog isn't attacking a person at the time? You can always whip out your gun and shoot it after it shakes off the pepper spray.
Not really, because if you just gave it a face full of pepper spray, you have about half a second to get that gun out, aim and fire... all while that
very angry dog is on the way to eat you for spraying it.
http://www.flra.gov/fsip/finalact/98fs_158.htmlBy way of background, the OC spray device selected for use by the Employer is the "CAP-STUN Weapon System" (CAP-STUN) manufactured by ZARC International, Inc., of Bethesda, Maryland. It uses an aerosol delivery system that disperses the OC in a conical mist and can deliver six 1-second bursts.(8) The device is most effective at distances of 4 to 6 feet, has a maximum range of 15 feet under ideal conditions, and should not be used at a range of under 3 feet
So, if an officer sprayed a dog under
ideal conditions, it
might be 15 feet away. So that officer would need to drop the cap stun, unholster their gun, aim and fire - all while that dog is closing the distance of 15 feet? But more likely, the distance would be 4 or 6 feet. Even stubby little Riggs can cover 6 feet in one jump, maybe two. So even if that officer is running backwards while trying to unholster and aim (uh... ) well, this is just
not a recipe for a good shot.
Will all of these suggestions work on EVERY dog in EVERY situation? No, of course not. I think the idea is that they should have training so the PO's first response is not to use their gun.
If an ACO is called out, they don't just pull out a gun and shoot the dog first.
No, and an ACO is not a Police Officer. I don't expect them to act the same. Honestly, I don't think it would be a bad idea for all officers to have tranq darts for their shot guns. Go to a dog call, load them, and if necessary, shoot the dog with
that. Could it happen that the dog still dies from an OD of tranqualizer? Yes, but at least it's an attempt to not kill. And some of the tranq's act fast enough to stop just about anything in seconds.
Look, I'm
not advocating killing dogs. But quite frankly, I'm even less interested in having Demo come home missing chunks - and that has nearly happened more than once. I'd love it if there was a way for dogs not to pay for idiot owners, but right now, there isn't... and that's because if they try to
not kill the dog (tranq gun) and one dies by mistake then people sue the city. It's completely stupid.
And no matter how the news makes it seem, I've met a lot of officers, and regardless of their "routine", none of them "like" shooting dogs. A "justified shooting" just means that it was necessary under the law, not that they thought it was fun to do and went out and had a party later.