The officers were searching the neighborhood for a lost child that was later found asleep in its own basement. While conducting their search they knocked on the door of a house in the missing child's neighborhood. When no one answered the officer jumped the fence into the back yard where he encountered the owner's 3 year old Weimaraner, Geist. The officer felt threatened by the dog and shot it in the head. Animal control then notified the owner who rushed home and confronted the officers. I have read numerous stories like this in the past few months and they really anger me. What gives the officer the right to climb a fence and enter private property like that and then kill the owner's dog. The dog was fenced in and was a danger to no one until he jumped the fence. I know that they were looking for a lost child but the child in question was 3 years old. If the officer had to climb a fence to get in I'm pretty sure a 3 year old wouldn't be able to get in that yard. What really angers me is the response of the officers. They didn't act like it bothered them at all. They simply responded "We were looking for a lost child. He was threatened by the dog and he shot the dog. That's as simple as it gets."

 

Should this be viewed as an officer simply doing their job or should they face some sort of discipline for their actions?

 

Man Confronts Police After His Dog Is Shot

Let's say the officer thinks the lost child is being held in the house. He is in the neighbor's back yard. He has two choices. Go over the fence and through the back yard or walk all the way around the block and back down the street to the front door.

 

Of course we want him/her going through the backyard. The child has to be the priority.

 

Unfortunate situation.

 

I'll support the officer in this case. I have no issues with their response. Their response changed nothing.

Absolutely no reason to shoot the dog. Zero. Officer should be held accountable, but since it's an animal, no one will do a damn thing about it.

If I have a young child that I can't find, and I hop a neighbors fence to look for him/her, and I feel threatened by their dog, am I allowed to kill it without fear of consequences?

 

We all know the answer to that. An officer shouldn't be allowed to either.

Here is a video taken by the dog's owner. He started filming on his way home from work when he got the call.

 

Owner of dog killed by SLCPD posts video of first encounter with police | The Salt Lake Tribune

Let's say the officer thinks the lost child is being held in the house. He is in the neighbor's back yard. He has two choices. Go over the fence and through the back yard or walk all the way around the block and back down the street to the front door.

 

Of course we want him/her going through the backyard. The child has to be the priority.

 

Unfortunate situation.

 

I'll support the officer in this case. I have no issues with their response. Their response changed nothing.

 

If the officer had a warrant I might...I might be inclined to support the officer. To just go over a random fence and shoot the dog is inexcusable IMO. I'd be sick if someone shot one of my Huskies after climbing my fence and coming into my yard.

If I have a young child that I can't find, and I hop a neighbors fence to look for him/her, and I feel threatened by their dog, am I allowed to kill it without fear of consequences?

 

We all know the answer to that. An officer shouldn't be allowed to either.

 

If you add "kill it without cause" then I might agree. With cause? No question he should have that option.

If the officer had a warrant I might...I might be inclined to support the officer. To just go over a random fence and shoot the dog is inexcusable IMO. I'd be sick if someone shot one of my Huskies after climbing my fence and coming into my yard.

 

The bigger issue here is in regards to what rights to police have to enter a yard when looking for a lost child or when they believe a crime has been committed somewhere in the neighborhood. Not sure what the law says.

If you add "kill it without cause" then I might agree. With cause? No question he should have that option.

 

What was his cause? A 3 year old girls parents are so incompetent they can't even look throughout their house properly to find their child?

 

He had no cause. He said he felt threatened. Boo hoo. It's a dog. Spray it with some pepper spray or hit it a couple times with the night stick if you're THAT scared of it.

The bigger issue here is in regards to what rights to police have to enter a yard when looking for a lost child or when they believe a crime has been committed somewhere in the neighborhood. Not sure what the law says.

 

I'm interested in finding out the answer. Seems like if they can't go through my cell phone without a warrant they shouldn't be allowed to jump my fence and shoot my dog without a warrant.

What was his cause? A 3 year old girls parents are so incompetent they can't even look throughout their house properly to find their child?

 

 

This is what makes this situation worse.

Let's say the officer thinks the lost child is being held in the house. He is in the neighbor's back yard. He has two choices. Go over the fence and through the back yard or walk all the way around the block and back down the street to the front door.

 

Of course we want him/her going through the backyard. The child has to be the priority.

 

Unfortunate situation.

 

I'll support the officer in this case. I have no issues with their response. Their response changed nothing.

 

They had no reason to believe that the child was being held in the house or was in the back yard. They had no reason to jump the fence. It would be different if someone had told them that they saw the child on the property or if they heard a child in distress. That was not the case here. The officer took it upon himself to jump a fence and when the dog came up to him he shot it. From watching the video you can see that the fence is about 4-6 feet high. I don't think it is reasonable to think that a 3 year old could scale that fence. He had no reason to be in that back yard.

The bigger issue here is in regards to what rights to police have to enter a yard when looking for a lost child or when they believe a crime has been committed somewhere in the neighborhood. Not sure what the law says.

 

It's a pretty high threshold, e.g. the officer saw a guy forcing a kid into the house.

Here is a video taken by the dog's owner. He started filming on his way home from work when he got the call.

 

Owner of dog killed by SLCPD posts video of first encounter with police | The Salt Lake Tribune

 

That same video is on the link that I posted.

What kind of dog is that? Is it a big beastly dog?