Fatally Injured Dog Received No Veterinary Care

On November 14, a Fort Worth city police officer—who claimed that a stray dog charged at him repeatedly—reportedly shot "several rounds from his handgun striking the animal." The dog, later identified as a family's companion named Bud, was reportedly shot in the head and the chest. According to TV news reports and city officials, the dying dog was left alone at the city's animal shelter without care for several hours, during which time he surely suffered horribly. Bud died slowly, most likely from blood loss, organ damage, and/or shock.

Graphic news footage shows that Bud was bloodied and unable to walk properly. In the footage, animal control officer Barry Alexander can be seen needlessly restraining Bud on a control pole and prodding him to move forward while he is obviously in pain. The footage then shows that Alexander lifted Bud by the skin on his back and the noose around his neck and put him in a compartment on an animal control truck. Animal control supervisors and health department officials claim that the officer did not know how injured this obviously dying dog was upon leaving him alone in a cage at the animal control center. Officials responded to PETA's three-page letter offering assistance to prevent another tragedy from happening with this vague, less than helpful three-sentence response.

Failing to provide veterinary medical care to animals "as needed to prevent suffering" is a violation of Fort Worth's city codes as well as Texas state law.

This petition is to demand that immediate action be taken to provide all animal control officers with professional training in injury and disease recognition and that policies be instituted requiring veterinary care or euthanasia for injured animals in the city's custody.