ARIZONA -- A Yuma police officer shot what he considered an aggressive and vicious dog after it charged him Sunday morning. The wounded dog, which had no collar or microchip, was later euthanized.
According to YPD, at about 8:49 a.m., a city of Yuma animal control officer responded to a call for service regarding two dogs at large in a business complex in the 1000 block of West 24th Street. The woman who reported the dogs said that one of them had growled and snarled at her.
While approaching the two animals, the animal control officer was attacked by the vicious dog. The dog is thought to possibly have been Labrador retriever or pit bull mix.
The animal control officer was able to keep the dog at bay with his catch pole. Animal control officers are not permitted to carry a weapon; they instead have an expandable bite stick.
When an assisting police officer arrived, the dog charged at the officer. The officer subsequently shot the animal in the right paw as it reared up on its back legs when it was only about two feet away from him.
The second animal ran away from the area and according to YPD has not been located yet. The owner of the dogs has since been located and the incident is under investigation.
The Yuma Police Department's Animal Control Services assumed responsibilities for animal control within the city limits on Jan. 1.
According to the Yuma Sun's archives, the last time a YPD officer was forced to shoot a dog was in August 2010. There also was an incident in April 2009 when a large male black Lab mix was Tasered after the dog bit a police officer. That dog later died. Prior to that, the only other incident happened in August 2006.
(Yuma Sun - April 29, 2012)
