Friday, August 01, 2008

Dog owner upset at use of deadly force

"Dear Editor:

Saturday (July 12) was my birthday. It should have been an occasion for happiness. Unfortunately, this Saturday, a close friend of mine was murdered in his own yard.

It happened right here in Safford. My friend and I had become very close over time. In fact, he had become part of our family. Many of my friends and neighbors knew him well and will also miss his presence in their lives. Saturday, I buried my best friend in my back yard. The family member’s name was Diamond. He was my close companion; he was my dog. He came into my life on my birthday three years ago when he was 6 weeks old.

Early Saturday morning, a jogger was passing by our yard, and Diamond was startled and taken by surprise. According to the police report, the jogger “put his right hand out to let the dog know it was OK. The dog bit his hand, leaving a puncture wound on the top of his hand and a small mark on the palm of the hand.” This happened in front of my house.

The paramedics checked out the jogger and found him to be OK. My dog was safely in his yard lying down near the front door to the house, not a threat to anyone, when a Safford Police officer purposefully strode into my yard and shot him point blank.

Bleeding terribly from the mortal wound, Diamond tried to escape into the house for safety. My wife, witness to this, cried hysterically, and I rushed home. We took Diamond to the veterinarian, who did everything possible. A short time later, Diamond died in my arms. I couldn’t help him.

What has happened to our community? My dog was inside his own yard when Officer Reynolds entered my yard and opened fire on him. If Diamond appeared to threaten the policeman, it was only because he was protecting his own yard, which is normal dog behavior..."

Sorry, pal. Neither you nor I can intrude upon someone's private property and kill an animal, but there are different laws for the special people. Which is why I've become an anti. Anti-dog-killing gestapo raider.

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