Did Cops Go Overboard Tasering Family Dog? VIDEO Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
On Saturday morning, Lakewood, OH resident Daniel Kier%u2019s dog, Otis, got the shock of his life, literally. Keir says Otis is a Boxer but authorities say hes got pitbull in him and he was acting aggressively and that was all they needed to taser, drag the dog by with a catch pole the neck along the ground and taser the dog again.
Shocked and outraged witnesses say that the dog, surrounded by police officers was barking but backing away, scared and defensive.
Police say the dog lunged and was aggressive so they tasered it, dragged it and tasered it again. The video the police released to bolster their story shows the dog writhing in pain and agony and it also seems to be backfiring on them. Dog lovers are outraged and say the officer went way overboard, it was animal cruelty and abuse. There is also a controversy about the breed of dog.
Pitbulls are a banned breed in Lakewood, OH and police and animal warden say that Otis is a pitbull or part pitbull. Now Otis, who escaped his home unknown to his sleeping owner on Saturday morning, sits in a cage, scared and shaking, his fate undecided.
I guess we can at least be thankful that the police%u2019s first response was not to pull a gun and shoot the dog and as painful as it is to watch, even though I dont agree, tasering him was better than the alternative but I certainly didnt see a need for the dog, who was on a catch pole and had been dragged along the ground, to be tasered a second time. This was clearly a case of overzealous officers. To me, the dog just looked scared and defensive, not aggressive in the first place.
And of course its no surprise the the department and animal control is backing the officers, both for the cruel tasering as well as calling the dog a pitbull. Being banned, labeling Otis a pitbull is practically a death sentence for the dog.
