Officer shoots family pet [Sandusky Register, 02/23/13]

>>Source: Sandusky Register (02/23/13 edition): http://i.imgur.com/r1K3Ki6.jpg
>>Transcribed by Joé McKen @ 02/25/13

Officer shoots family pet
By EMIL WHITIS
whitis@sanduskyregister.com

	A Sandusky woman and her family are outraged after police shot and killed their dog Wednesday on Washington Court.
	Police also charged Donna Hansen, 21, with dogs at large and no dog tags.
	"Yesterday morning my dog wiggled off of her chain, ran around the house a couple times, scared a postal worker and police show up and shot her down," Hansen said. "You can still see where that officer shot my dog in the snow. My daughter has to see that."
	A postal worker called police at about 11 a.m. and said a dog had trapped her inside a house. After officers parked in the 200 block of Washington Court, they spotted Hansen's Rottweiler, Lucy, in the middle of the street.
	"I exited my cruiser and retrieved a dog pole from the trunk," Sandusky police Officer Brad Wilson's report said. "While doing so the dog began to bark very loudly. The dog appeared to be in a very excited state."
	As Wilson walked toward the dog, it continued to bark and stepped backward.
	"I then requested dispatch send another officer as I believed the dog may create a safety hazard for me," Wilson's report said. "The dog appeared aggressive and continued to bark loudly and frequently."
	When the dog bolted between two nearby homes, Wilson drew his pistol and followed it into the backyard.
	"I was concerned if there were any other persons who may inadvertently come into contact with it," his report said. "As I approached the corner the dog became even more agitated."
	At that point, it was just Wilson and the dog squaring off in the backyard.
	"The dog was showing its teeth and growling as if it were preparing to bite," Wilson's report said. "It lunged several feet forward and stopped, however, it continued to growl and show its teeth."
	Wilson backed up and the dog "rocked back and forth," baring its teeth, the report said.
	Wilson fired a shot.
	"The round struck the dog underneath the left eye and caused immediate incapacitation," the report said. "The dog expired shortly after."
	Hansen's boyfriend, Jessie Likes, 23, bolted out the door and asked the officer why he shot the dog.
	"I advised him the dog had been aggressive with the postal worker and I believed the dog was going to attack me due to its behavior," Wilson wrote.
	Wilson later told Hansen her dog died peacefully.
	Likes offered a different story, Hansen said.
	"(Lucy) was throwing up all over the ground, squirming, legs kicking all over the place," Hansen said. "I had 40 birds in my yard (Thursday) eating her vomit."
	Sometime after Lucy died, Wilson's backup arrived. He and another officer loaded the dog's body into a cruiser and dropped it at the "city morgue."
	Wilson called the Erie County Dog Warden and found out Lucy didn't have dog tags, so he then cited Hansen.
	"He didn't even apologize," Hansen said. "I have to appear in court on Wednesday."
	Hansen said anyone who knew "Lucy" knew she wasn't vicious, just protective.
	"She might've barked at the mail woman, but what dog doesn't," Hansen said. "I guarantee if that cop would have just called out to her, everything would have been fine."
	She said Lucy's barking didn't give officers the right to kill her, and she questioned why Wilson didn't wait for backup.
	"This is somebody who's supposed to serve and protect and he's out there killing family pets," Hansen said. "There are just so many more ways they could have handled it more professionally."
	She said she plans to hire an attorney and take the issue to court. So far she has contacted PETA, Animal Planet and the Erie County Humane Society.
	She's also started a Facebook page, titled "Justice for Lucy."
	"It's going pretty viral," Hansen said. "We're getting shirts made."