Pet Dog Shot, Killed By Police While Owner Was Out Of Country

A dog on the loose was shot and killed by police after it acted “very aggressively.” The incident took place in the Canadian city of Prince Rupert on Friday.

Officers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to the area after receiving information about a dog on the loose. The officers had to shoot the canine as it was behaving in an aggressive manner toward the public.

“The Prince Rupert RCMP responded to a request to assist city bylaws with a vicious dog. Based on the history of the dog attacking a member of the community and the dangerous and aggressive behavior displayed during the interaction, police made the unfortunate decision to put the dog down,” Cpl. Alex Langley, Acting Operations NCO, said in a press release.

The RCMP too said the decision to shoot the dog was taken after unsuccessfully trying to restrain the canine.

“Police made the difficult decision to kill a designated dangerous dog that was at large, behaving very aggressively, and which after many attempts could not be apprehended safely. This is a step only taken in the most serious of circumstances, where an animal is considered to present an immediate danger to the public,” RCMP stated in a separate press release.

Meanwhile, the dog’s owner, who was out of the country when the incident took place, said the police handled the situation poorly.

“The bylaw officers of Prince Rupert need to be trained how to properly deal with animals, and if it comes down to it be trained how to put an animal down humanely. What the city did was not humane, it was cruel. Losing my dog was like losing my child and I want justice for him, he did not deserve this. The City of Prince Rupert should never be able to do this to another dog again or put another family through this kind of pain,” Sofia Cardoso, the dog’s owner, said.