Pennsylvania: Philadelphia police officers climb on top of vehicle to escape Pit Bull

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- Although the Philadelphia Inquirer posted this photo making light of it ("Philly goes to the dogs"), I fail to see the humor.

Police officers in urban settings deal with vicious dogs all the time and clearly they've determined this Pit Bull isn't just wanting to be petted.

Now you may ask, "Why don't they just shoot it?" Well, one of the first things officers are trained on is firearms safety and one of the main rules is "Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it".

There's always a chance the bullet could go through the dog's body and then ricochet elsewhere, possibly hitting them - or someone else. There was a case of an officer who was attacked by a Pit Bull; he shot it but it went through the dog, hit the sidewalk, ricocheted and hit a small child standing nearby.

So they may have been trying to calm the dog down, hoping the owner would show up. Or the officer inside the car may be calling for Animal Control.

Hopefully this call ended peacefully with no one being bitten.

(Philly.com - June 3, 2013)