Tara Sprayson owns “Pig,” a one-year-old pit bull-type dog that is recovering in veterinary care with a bullet lodged deep in his muscular frame.
Late Tuesday, Sprayson contested police reports from earlier in the day that the officers were surprised when the dog attacked them during a traffic stop.
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| Owner says the shouldn't have shot the dog after it attacked them since she warned them that it was a "mean" dog -- a dog that is only a year old! |
“They had full warning that he was mean,” she said.
Police said a female traffic officer had called for backup after smelling marijuana inside a truck — occupied by Sprayson, her husband and three dogs — in the 1400 block of 52nd Street N.E. on Monday night.
Police also said the officer had not been warned by the dog owners or noticed any issues with the canine, which had once been investigated by bylaw officers for aggression.
Sprayson ardently disagreed.
“We said: ‘Go ahead you can search the truck. Watch the dogs — the pit bull is mean,’” she told the Herald. “Can’t say it any clearer than that.
“Instead they took it upon themselves.”
Despite some slight discrepancies over what happened next, both sides agree Pig bit the male officer who had initially been called in as backup.
That’s when the officer shot the dog in the head with a Calgary Police Service-issued gun.
The officer was wearing a protective vest and wasn’t injured.
Police said the incident was recorded by an in-car camera. No charges had been declared at press time, although city bylaw noted the animal could be subject to a dangerous dog hearing and the owners could face bylaw charges at a later date.
Sprayson was unsure what action to take next, saying she was mostly concerned for her injured pooch at the moment.
She described Pig as a well-intentioned canine, but also acknowledged he needed obedience school training.
Sprayson also downplayed remarks from one city official that her dog “has a history” with animal and bylaw services. She said that claim stems from a minor incident in which her pit bull escaped home and met a young girl riding her bike.
“He had jumped up and scratched her leg with his teeth,” said Sprayson, adding no blood was drawn.
Veterinarian Dr. Shelby Kimura said Pig was always mild-tempered during visits to the northeast clinic in which she works.
“Never once has he shown aggression,” Kimura said.
She and other staff are now attempting to nurse the [dog] back to health. A second surgery may still be needed to remove the bullet.
The round entered underneath the dog’s right eye, travelled through his neck, and stopped between his shoulder blade and body wall.
In an interview, Kimura avoided discussing the police shooting, but was also keen on defending the notorious breed-type, which has been the subject of heated debates over breed-specific legislation
“It doesn’t matter it’s a pit bull,” she said. “It could’ve been any dog that felt threatened.”
(Calgary Herald - July 17, 2013)
