Why has this dog not been put down yet?

[zxcvbob]

Some dogs are just more special than others:
http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/nov/27/police-defend-k--in-attack-on--year-old/

Police dog attacks an 8-year-old boy playing in his yard, and the city defends the dog.  IMHO, the only defense would be that the trainer gave a command to attack (and I'll bet they don't go there)

I wonder if the cop picked up after the dog crapped in the yard.  Don't they have leash laws?

[griz]

Sounds like a problem with the handler:  A dog that's trained to chase anybody who runs, then let him loose in a place with kids?  Bad decision on the handler's part.

[CNYCacher]

What's not clear in the article is who owns the "fenced-in area" and whether or not the kid or the dog should have been in there.

[TommyGunn]

I don't think the dog should be euthanized, but it is clear that it should be controlled much better.  You just can't let a dog that's trained like that to run around when there's children playing .... PERIOD.

[bedlamite]

Poor training and the dog is a little too aggressive. They can be trained to only attack on command. Either way the handler needs to be removed from the K9 unit, and the lawsuit is going to cost the city a bunch.

[zxcvbob]

What's not clear in the article is who owns the "fenced-in area" and whether or not the kid or the dog should have been in there.

It's a badly written article, but implies that the fenced in area was Grandma's yard, where the kid was playing.  So, the kid should have been there and the dog and trainer were trespassing.  But even if you reverse it (kid was trespassing and the dog wasn't) a trained dog attacked a child without being commanded to do so.

Thankfully the kid doesn't seem to be hurt too bad, and he learned a valuable lesson about the police in particular and city government in general.

[agricola]

I don't think the dog should be euthanized, but it is clear that it should be controlled much better.  You just can't let a dog that's trained like that to run around when there's children playing .... PERIOD.

This.  It sounds as if the fault with this lies solely with the handler.

[Ron]

The dogs training was good enough that the child ended up with nothing more than red marks and a torn shirt. This wasn't an aggressive instinctive attack. This was a dog doing what it was trained to do (possibly poorly as there was no command).  

The dog deserves a better trained partner.

[roo_ster]

Do not leash laws apply to the police?

The city & PD best do the right thing or the poochie will end up the worse for it.

[zxcvbob]

Do not leash laws apply to the police?

The city & PD best do the right thing or the poochie will end up the worse for it.

If I was Granny, I would be combing the state dog-bite laws -- to see how I could force a rabies test (the "John the Baptist" test)

I love dogs, but if my own dog bit a child without a damn good excuse, I'd put him down myself.

[Blakenzy]

Do not leash laws apply to the police?

Isn't it clear by now that laws aren't applied to police personnel in quite the same way they are to you and me?

If they operated under accountability of the same rules we do, most would be justly incarcerated as a result of their "police work".

Now, right or wrong, cops claim exeptionalism to otherwise criminal behavior as part of their job... and then sometimes thoughtlessly extend these immunities to off duty life, and we allow it.

Face it, that dog (& handler) have more privilege than any citizen peasant could ever hope for.

[T.O.M.]

I've known a lot of K9 officers over the years.  Probably still have slobber marks on a few suit pants from a couple that loved to be scratched behind the ears while I reviewed their human partner's reports.  Gotta agree that it's a handler/control issue.  I've seen the dogs trained to spot or target guard, in other words guard a specific person/item or guard an area.  But only on command.  And, if the officer gave that command, then he's at fault.

As for the "all cops are bad/criminal" comments, I'm taking a pass on defending good cops this morning.  Not in the mood to play.

[RoadKingLarry]

I live in a rural area so offduty K9s running loose isn't to likely. But if I saw a strang dog take down one of my grand kids in my own yard things would get really intense real fast. It gives me a cold chill to think what
would have happened if the parent had gone after the dog with a weapon. The handler is 100% at fault in this case but the response of the city disgusts me.