Pitbull shot by police officers for protecting his home

[Jason]

i have a situation with my pitbull and i was wanting to get other peoples views on this i had some police officers come to my house they said they was sent there for a 911 hang up when they got there they did not knock on my door they went to my backyard where i have beware of pitbull signs even though my dog has never attacked anyone or any other animals i have according to them my dog tryed to attack them and they shot him 2 twice in the back as seen in the picture he is still alive but is not the same dog after this has happen he was kinda aggresive when i took him to the hostpital and i am sure it is because 4 strange people came into his yard and shot him but since then he has not been the same around strange people and have became real protective over my family. i would like to get some feed back on the story and others points of views on things.

[miley fan #1]

sorry about this

[Christine M.]

I am also sorry.

It is sad that they felt the need to go into your back yard without asking. They should have knocked on the front door to see if everything was O.K. first. Also they should have contacted Animal control to help if they felt they needed to go into the yard for some reason and saw there was a dog there.

With time and love your dog will mot likely be o.k.. Right now he is hurt and scared. Just like with people it takes time to get over a traumatic experience like being shot...could you imagine if it were you or a family member who was shot instead, I would assume it would take a long time to get over something like that (if you could at all) Give him the time and the space from others he needs and don't rush things.

Also, I am sorry that this happened. It is truely sad that a dog regardless of breed is not allowed to defend its own home. :0(

[Lori]

Hi Jason,
I had the same problem with the police (almost). First I want to say this, I sure hope that they (the animal control) don't take your dog or make you keep your dog muzzled whenever it is outside. I'd try to take them to small claims or a type of Moral Court. For what they did was not right and I can bet that your dog won't be the same unless your constanly with him, with that I'd make a quick find of a dog training class. This way you'll be able to resocialize your dog with people and other animals again. I'd also bring him into places where there are other people and at first I would keep him muzzled so you don't have any problems. See if he growls and such, if not get the muzzle off so he can begin to get well. They rehabbed Mike Vicks pitbulls that had been fought so I know that you have a chance. Good Luck to you and please keep me informed.

Lori Giles