Neighbor who shot police chief’s family dog will likely not be charged
Part of the responsibility of owning a pet is making sure that you keep them under control at all times. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. Sometimes, dogs get out of their yards. And this is when they are in danger and face the possibility of being injured or even killed.
An Allegheny Valley Regional Police Chief found this out the hard way when his dog was shot and killed.
An aggressive dog
Living in Pennsylvania, Police Chief Michael Naviglia and his family were the owners of the one-year-old Dutch shepherd, named Tammy. The neighbor who shot Tammy said that he and his wife were walking in the neighborhood when Tammy left her yard and attacked them.
Tammy was not known to be aggressive
“I’m shocked,” says John Slobada, another of Naviglia’s neighbors told KDKA 2. “Nothing ever happens around here. It’s just amazing.”
According to Slobada, Tammy would bark, but he had never witnessed her being aggressive to anyone. In addition to Tammy, Chief Naviglia also has another dog, a K-9 partner, who happened to be on duty with him on the morning Tammy was shot.
Naviglia’s children will miss Tammy
Naviglia declined to comment on the matter. He was quick to say that the family dog had never been trained to be aggressive or act in any police or tactical role. He also said that the loss was particularly painful for his two children, who loved the dog dearly.
No charges in the case are expected
State police investigated the incident. Chances are that since Tammy left her property that no charges would be filed in the case. In many parts of the U.S., shooting an animal that is acting aggressively is within a person’s right, especially if they, someone they know, or a pet are being attacked by the dog.
A lesson for dog owners
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that dogs and their owners have few rights if the dog leaves their property unattended or shows aggression by attacking someone else or an animal. Many such shooting could be avoided if dog owners would contain their pet to their property, including putting them behind a fence or inside if they cannot be monitored.
Many laws specify that for a person to kill a dog, they must feel an immediate threat from the animal towards themselves, someone they know, or a pet. Just because a dog growls or barks at someone, or has bitten someone in the past, does not mean someone can kill them without reason.
As Tammy’s horrible death shows, it’s very important to keep our pets monitored or in a secure location to prevent such a tragedy from occurring.
You can watch the news story about this dog’s tragic death in the video below.
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H/T: KDKA 2, YouTube/CBS Pittsburgh