When speaking with the Police of Columbia I asked if they keep a record of how many dogs are murked every year, I was informed they don't have access to that info...
So I looked at some other states to see if I could get an idea of how often this happens...
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Over the past decade or so, Milwaukee police have shot more than 400 dogs in the line of duty, according to court records in one dog-shooting death that stands out among them.
The 2004 death of a 7-year-old Labrador/springer spaniel mix named Bubba appears to be the first such case to go to a federal civil rights trial in Milwaukee, where it is set to begin before a jury this week. His owner, Virginia Viilo, sued the city, police Sgt. Kevin Eyre and Officer Montell Carter in 2005, claiming her constitutional rights were violated when Carter fired shots into her already-injured dog.
Courts have held that unnecessarily killing a pet violates the owner's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizure. Viilo's attorneys said they are not aware of a civil rights lawsuit filed over a pet shooting ever going to trial in Milwaukee. The city's attorney declined to comment.
The city has already appealed the case to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago, arguing the officer had immunity when he shot Bubba. In a September opinion, the higher court denied the appeal and took a harsh view of the shooting.
"Although this is not, to say the least, a record that paints a sympathetic view of the defendants' actions on the night Bubba was killed, the defendants nonetheless argue they are entitled to qualified immunity as a matter of law," wrote Judge Richard Cudahy.
Friendly or fierce?
The jury will hear two sharply different portrayals of Bubba.
Viilo says Bubba was a playful dog who romped with neighborhood children and visited residents at the nursing home where she worked.
Police say Bubba was a threat to them on the day they encountered the dog. They say he charged them, growling and baring his teeth.
Certain facts are not in dispute, according to court records and attorneys in the case.
On the evening of Aug. 15, 2004, officers went at Viilo's home in the 2200 block of S. 20th St., looking for a wanted man they were told had a pit bull, police said. They didn't find their subject and Viilo said she didn't know him, according to her attorneys.
Carter had prepared for the possible arrest by arming himself with a shotgun because, as he later said, "the best weapon for a dog is a shotgun, through my experience."
As the officers approached the front door, Viilo, some guests and Bubba were in the backyard. Bubba barked and jumped over a fence and ran toward the officers, police said. Carter fired twice, hitting the dog at least once, and fracturing his front leg. The dog retreated under some bushes.
Viilo doesn't dispute the reasonableness of Carter's first shots, noting the "difficult decisions that police officers face in the line of duty," but contends the subsequent two shots were not necessary and were wrong.
In city documents, Viilo acknowledged Bubba had a history of jumping over the 3½-foot fence, which had carpeting on it to protect the dog's belly.
According to court records:
After Bubba was shot the first time, Viilo tried to get to her dog and call for a veterinarian, but police denied her attempts. By the time Eyre arrived five to 10 minutes later, a crowd had gathered and some people were yelling to officers that Bubba was not a bad dog.
Eyre approached the bushes where Bubba was hiding. Eyre said the dog came out toward the officers, showing his teeth and growling.
Eyre said he feared for his safety and drew his handgun, but decided not to shoot because the bullet might have ricocheted. Eyre ordered Carter to shoot Bubba with the shotgun, then ordered a second shot, the fourth in all, which killed the animal.
After the shooting, police wrote Viilo a $122 ticket for letting Bubba run loose.
Witnesses disagree
The court of appeals opinion noted seven witnesses disputed the officers' account that the dog was growling or coming at them. The witnesses said "Bubba was limping and whimpering as he emerged from the bushes and that he was just trying to get back to Viilo," the appeals court opinion states.
The shooting of Bubba was not an isolated event, according to documents filed by Viilo. Over a nine-year period,
298 Milwaukee police officers shot 434 dogs. Police records showed that from 1993 to mid-2005, at least 24 of those shootings were fatal.
Viilo said she hoped her lawsuit over Bubba's death would discourage other such shootings. U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert, the trial judge, ruled that other police shootings of dogs would not be allowed in as evidence.
Viilo's suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages along with legal fees. The trial is expected to last up to a week.
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SO yeah, In a larger city 40+ dogs are shot a year, that article is only about Milwaukee, not all the other cities in Wisconsin.
If you take into account every city, in the state.
I bet its closer to a dog getting shot everyday up in Wisconsin, or probably any state for that matter.
