Armed security guard shoots River Oaks family dog

[TrueFlog]

Are armed security guards getting a lot of free press lately, or is it just me?

No... it seems that way to me also. They act as if they have "batman" authority. Rent-a-cops should not be driving around with weapons. they obviously can't handle the responsibility. What the heck happened to the old days when a rent a cop was suppose to call the real police?

It's not just the Rent-A-Cops...
http://www.wtae.com/r/30718638/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local% ... -shoot-dog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[philip964]

Are armed security guards getting a lot of free press lately, or is it just me?

No... it seems that way to me also. They act as if they have "batman" authority. Rent-a-cops should not be driving around with weapons. they obviously can't handle the responsibility. What the heck happened to the old days when a rent a cop was suppose to call the real police?

It's not just the Rent-A-Cops...
http://www.wtae.com/r/30718638/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local% ... -shoot-dog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2632244/posts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[thenick_ttu]

These kind of situations make me furious to no end. If the rent-a-cop in the OP had done that to my dog, at the very least he would have a bloody face and would need some stiches. At the most and depending on his demeanor after he shot my dog, he would be laying facedown in my front yard with multiple bullet holes in him.

[03Lightningrocks]

You can post all the links you want about a policeman making a bad shoot... it does not change the fact that rent a cops are NOT properly trained to be acting as police officers.

[i8godzilla]

Since there were "shots fired", did a real LEO come out and investigate? What about charges for the unnecessary discharge of a firearm or animal cruelty?

Even after thinking it over I still stand by my earlier post in this thread:

If it happened in my front yard with one of my dogs, I might have considered having to protect my property.............

[RPBrown]

I can assure you that if he had grabbed my wife, he would have had not 1 but 3 dogs on him before he could turn around. They are as sweet as can be but don't try to hurt one of the family. If you do, you are on your own.

Now, if I was at home I would have answered the door with a weapon in reach if not in hand depending on the time.

[threoh8]

Not enough information, and what we have is apparently from the dog owners and the neighbors. The guard and company may be lawyering up and holding their tongues. Assuming the statements we have so far are accurate (BIG assumption), this seems to be the sequence:

Guard on patrol sees something unusual.
Guard knocks on door to inquire.
Homeowner answers.
Dog comes out.
(What happens here? How did the "gentle giant" behave?)
Guard (possibly in fear of dog) grabs homeowner.
Dog barks.
Guard shoots dog.

Grabbing a person as a shield is pretty bad form, but so is "loosing the hounds" in an area legitimately open to others. Either could be viewed as escalating the situation.

I'll reserve judgement, except to say that it's a sad story.

[SRH78]

If the dog meant to attack him, it would have done so instead of being "12-15 feet away". The story also says the dog was barking after he grabbed the woman. This guy is toast and it appears rightfully so.

[fickman]

We had a weimaraner that we put down last year. . .they are extremely hyper and good natured, but they are very close to the family. They are good hunting dogs, but all of the breed literature warns that you can't kennel them because they are so ingrained into the family unit. They are a lot of bark, almost no bite, but if they thought their owner was in danger, I wouldn't be surprised if the dog was ready to intervene.

Sounds like the patrolman is gong to have an uphill battle explaining how scared he was of a dog that far away. . . a grown man (especially one able-bodied enough to be a patrolman) could almost always defend the first frontal attack by a lone dogs with a powerful kick that would then give him time to know that the dog 1) is in fact attacking and 2) he may need to elevate his defenses.

[TrueFlog]

You can post all the links you want about a policeman making a bad shoot... it does not change the fact that rent a cops are NOT properly trained to be acting as police officers.

I don't see anyone claiming that it does.

[Wienerdogtroy]

Some of these home owners associations are out of control. Sorry to say this everyone... but I would have shot the security gard out of my extreme terror that he had gone mad and was going to turn his weapon on me and my family next.... That is what lawyers are for.

Exactly. An armed person suddenly grabs my wife then I am in fear for her life and will act accordingly. I've had people assault family members and it didn't go well for them.

[03Lightningrocks]

You can post all the links you want about a policeman making a bad shoot... it does not change the fact that rent a cops are NOT properly trained to be acting as police officers.

I don't see anyone claiming that it does.

Great... then the insinuations of Police Officers making mistakes(by way of posting links to cops shooting dogs) must have just been to pass the time. It certainly has nothing to do with ego bloated rent a cops. Thanks for the clarification. Glad we agree that rent a cops haven't the training to be running around with loaded guns playing batman.

[jimlongley]

My (former) Ridgeback would have done something similar. She was always looking for a way to escape and eventually we got on to all of her tricks and (successfully) prevented her from repeating her escapades. One time she got out past me and pinned the mail route person back against the house as she happily insisted on being petted. But she looked MEAN!

Penny could be real protective of me, my wife, and the other dogs in the family, even the ones she bit in the house. A friend was over and made some sort of move that Penny apparently thought was threatening, and she chased him out of the room.

Should have seen her trying to rescue me from the pool. Deathly scared of water, but if I was in it, she would come after me and try to pull me out.

[03Lightningrocks]

My (former) Ridgeback would have done something similar. She was always looking for a way to escape and eventually we got on to all of her tricks and (successfully) prevented her from repeating her escapades. One time she got out past me and pinned the mail route person back against the house as she happily insisted on being petted. But she looked MEAN!

Penny could be real protective of me, my wife, and the other dogs in the family, even the ones she bit in the house. A friend was over and made some sort of move that Penny apparently thought was threatening, and she chased him out of the room.

Should have seen her trying to rescue me from the pool. Deathly scared of water, but if I was in it, she would come after me and try to pull me out.

We had a Dalmation that would do that. He never bit anyone, but loved people. He would run right at them and had a weird "smile" he would get that looked like he was snarling. That dog was a trip. He ran away and never came home.

[MoJo]

I will not live where there is a Homeowner Nazi Association. Rent-a-cops should only be unarmed watchmen. The amount of training an armed security guard receives is minuscule compared to what a sworn TECLOSE certified LEO has. If the Homeowner Nazi Association wants armed security hire off-duty-cops. The local police has a COP (citizens on patrol) program. They cannot have any type of weapon when they are on patrol. They have a marked car, a uniform shirt, police band walkie talkie, flash light and they are to call the real police if they encounter any trouble.

edit: I would be making arrangements with a lawyer to sue the pants off the homeowner's association, the security company and the rent-a-cop.