A reader objects to my sympathy over the shooting of this Rottweiler:
Give me a break! The only person to blame for that dog’s death is his owner. When the police are investigating a potentially volatile situation, the correct response for any citizen is to stay the fuck back! Instead, he got out of his car and escalated the situation. He acted irresponsibly and his dog Max paid the price for it. Maybe you’re blinded by your love for beagles, but a rottweiler is no beagle. If one was charging at me and I had a gun, I’d shoot the damn thing dead too. Better the dog than me (or my face). Do a Google image search for “Rottweiler attacks”.
Another:
I can’t disagree with you more about the dog shooting.
If I’m a cop and some guy’s Rottweiler jumps out of a car window and starts menacing me, then I’m opening fire. I’ve got a guy in cuffs who seemed to be trolling for a confrontation and an angry, threatening dog of unknown training and you want me to say “here nice doggy, doggy?” No way. People first, pets second.
How about a little personal responsibility on the part of that dog owner and countless others like him. Why is someone’s out-of-control dog the problem and not fault of the dog’s owner and protector? Furthermore, what was the guy thinking? I’ll leave my dog baking in the car under the California sun while I get booked downtown. Is somebody going to approach the car with a barking Rottweiler in it so they can care for the dog?
If this rant seems over the top, then it’s because I’m sick of dog wastes on the sidewalk and in public places. Just because you think your dog is great or whatever isn’t an excuse to let it shit on our shared spaces. Same with crotch sniffing, baby scaring, licking whatever, “oh he’s just playing (or saying hello)” dog encounters. You want that in your private spaces, be my guest. You want that in our public areas, I’m bringing mace.
All righty then. You can watch the video yourself to judge if the dog was a genuine threat to the cops or just an opportunity to kill something with a gun.
The Dish 