Pitbull shot after trying to defend it's homeless owner

[AspireToExpire]

http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/police-officer-shoots-pitbull-on-14th-street/

Witnesses begged the officer to shoot Star again as he whimpered and died an uncomfortably slow death. Eddie Huang, the owner of Baohaus, tweeted an image captured moments after the shots were fired, and wrote that police “shot a dog and let it die slow.”
One eyewitness, who did not want to be identified because he works on the block, said that an officer maced the pitbull after it was shot.

“The cops shot the dog and didn’t put it out of its misery,” the witness said. “The dog was still twitching.” Steve-o said the dog was still breathing as it was placed in a body bag. “He has seizures,” he said of its owner. “That’s probably why he was passed out on the floor. The first thing they do is shoot his dog? They’re crazy. They threaten us all the time with this — all my friends with dogs — the first chance they get.”

 

[AspireToExpire]

I've seen reports Star is still alive but in critical condition.

http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes...ified-plus-video-of-the-aftermath/#more-37979

Mary Catherine McSweeney said Mr. Stankiewicz had adopted Star from a shelter and that the dog had been abused by her previous owners. Mr. Stankiewicz showered the dog with love.“She was super protective of her owner,” Ms. McSweeney said. “The dog has bitten multiple people that we know just because they were near him while he was sleeping.”

Generally, the dogs that belong to the nomadic punks — often called crusties — who pass through East Village every summer aren’t bothering people, the police source said. Last month, The Local profiled one of the mutts.

“With all the complaints we get about the young travelers or whatever you want to call them — we haven’t received any complaints that their dogs are causing problems,” said the source.But Ms. McSweeney had her fair share of complaints about Star.

“She’s bitten a bunch of our friends,” she said. “But now the first time it bites a yuppie, they shoot it? It shows that they’re not really there to protect and serve. They just protect and serve the rich.”

Poor dog.

 

[AspireToExpire]

This link has video of the dog being shot by the officer- warning very graphic and hard to watch. You can also see the man she was protecting suffering a seizure.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the...it-bull-on-the-street-will-shock-you-graphic/

The second officer does appear to hold something out after she had been shot, which does coincide with the witness saying she was maced after being shot.

 

[mlp]

Poor dog indeed. That's why it's so important to socialize dogs - they always end up paying the price.

 

[AspireToExpire]

Poor dog indeed. That's why it's so important to socialize dogs - they always end up paying the price.

Her owner was having a seizure, no wonder she was trying to defend him while he was sick and vulernable.

 

[Alice-Bee]

I just read this story.
Its so sad...poor thing was trying to protect her owner! Stupid trigger happy cops.

 

[AspireToExpire]

What they should have done is push people on the sidewalk and that lane of traffic back then wait for someone who knew how to deal with an aggressive pet and it's epileptic owner to arrive rather than get closer and closer since she was already stressed.

The whole thing is just horrifying. Hopefully lessons were learned and procedure improves following a situation like this.

You can't tell me this cop wasn't extra nervous because she happened to be a pitbull. Thanks media.

 

[mlp]

Her owner was having a seizure, no wonder she was trying to defend him while he was sick and vulernable.

I know - I am by no means blaming the dog - she was just being protective. However, one of the people quoted in the article said that the dog had bitten a number of people previously - it was clear that there was not going to be a happy outcome for this poor dog, especially with her human being prone to seizures.

That's why it aggravates me when people think it's nifty when a dog is physically protective of her human(s) - it's always a disaster in waiting for the dog. I have had a couple of dogs with strong protective instincts, and I've worked hard at conveying to them that it's my job to protect them, not their job to protect me, because I know that it takes just one incident of a dog trying to protect me, and it's likely to cost her/his life. It sucks, but that's the environment in which dogs live, and it's our responsibility, as their humans, to be cognizant of that sad fact and takes measures to protect the dog.

 

[AspireToExpire]

She should have been on leash but I wonder how many times her presence alone saved this guys life from people who would take advantage or alerting his friends he was seizing/about to seize. She may have ultimately given her life for his she should have been better protected.

 

[mlp]

I doubt that her life would have been saved even if she had been on a leash - a dog needs to be taught that someone else can take her leash if something happens to her human, otherwise she still is likely to pay with her life.

It's probable that she saved her human from harm in the past. However, that should not have been her role. She deserved better; all dogs do.

 

[shyvas]

I doubt that her life would have been saved even if she had been on a leash - a dog needs to be taught that someone else can take her leash if something happens to her human, otherwise she still is likely to pay with her life.

It's probable that she saved her human from harm in the past. However, that should not have been her role. She deserved better; all dogs do.

 

[K-II]

What they should have done is push people on the sidewalk and that lane of traffic back then wait for someone who knew how to deal with an aggressive pet and it's epileptic owner to arrive rather than get closer and closer since she was already stressed.

The whole thing is just horrifying. Hopefully lessons were learned and procedure improves following a situation like this.

You can't tell me this cop wasn't extra nervous because she happened to be a pitbull. Thanks media.

“Most of us figured out that when he’s passed out, whether he’s overdosing or not, leave him alone,” Mr. Verna said. “If he’s going to die, call an ambulance and have them deal with it because no one wants to get bitten.”

“I pulled away, it was so quick. But usually she doesn’t nip, she’ll lock her jaw,” he said, adding that Mr. Stankiewicz, 29, is homeless and has a problem with drugs and alcohol.

Even if they knew he was epileptic, he could still have been dying. Especially if he's also abusing drugs and alcohol. They'd look pretty stupid if the guy choked on his tongue or something while they were waiting around for the ambulance, or died from an overdose while they kept waiting even then for someone trained to contain an aggressive dog.

He really should have seen this coming a long time ago, considering some of the comments from people who know him. There are times you may not want to be protected from the people who are trying to make sure you don't die, like... whenever people need to make sure you don't die.