Sheila Williams certainly wishes a Bettendorf police officer had spared her 18-month old border collie/pit bull mix, Tank, who sprinted from her open door to a neighbor’s house.
The neighbor, Dawn Streeter, likely wishes Tank never escaped and lunged at her family and pets.
And we suspect a Bettendorf police officer wishes he had other options when Tank jumped at him.
But the officer didn’t. As a result, Tank’s escape led to the second-worst possible outcome we can imagine.
The worst, of course, would have been Tank attacking someone other than an armed officer. Then this story might have had a different ending. We’re reported on those kinds of endings many times before, most recently when a runaway dog attacked and killed a second grader in Galesburg. Like always, that dog was described as friendly and non-threatening until he escaped and fatally mauled the seven-year-old.
Tank’s Bettendorf owners may be grieving, but should thank Bettendorf police for an ending they and their neighbors can live with. In the days following Monday’s incident, witnesses can imagine other options that might have spared Tank’s life. The officer might have fought off the dog long enough to alert animal control. Bettendorf might have staffed emergency animal control capable of tracking a vicious dog at a moment’s notice.
Instead, frantic neighbors desperately tried to corral the runaway dog on their deck. Tank leapt over barricades to charge at the police officer twice. We have to trust the instincts and action of a veteran police officer who chose to fire twice, ending the threat to himself and others.
At that moment, Tank’s breed, upbringing and owner’s best intentions meant nothing. All that mattered was eliminating a violent threat that never could have happened if Tank had been properly secured in his home.
We can understand his owner’s grief. But we applaud the Bettendorf officer for keeping his priorities straight in the split second he had to confront this threat. Tank’s death saddens our community. But it can’t be blamed on a police officer whose quick action eliminated the worst possible outcome of this runaway dog.
Monday's attack
Bettendorf Police Chief Phil Redington’s account of Monday’s incident""The officer tried to block the dog’s path to keep it contained. The dog then jumped at the officer, snapping its teeth. The officer brushed the dog away with his arm and the dog attacked again, jumping and snapping at the officer’s face. The officer kicked the dog away, at which time the dog bit his shin, causing minor lacerations. The officer removed his gun and fired at the dog twice. The dog was approximately two feet away when the officer fired in a downward direction."
(QC Times - May 17, 2013)
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