Responding to "The Old Vicious Dog Call"

As a deputy it is not uncommon to respond to various animal complaints. One of the most popular is the vicious dog (almost always a Pitt Bull or Rottweiler) call. In most cases I arrive to find a Beagle with cataracts or a three legged Border Collie.

Yesterday evening I was dispatched to such a call. Apparently a vicious Rottweiler was on a woman's property and tried to attack her dog. The scene as arrived was sort of funny. There were two cars, caddy corner from one another, at the intersection of two dirt roads. The occupants of the vehicles were pointing frantically at the middle of the intersection, where sat an exceptionally large Rottweiler. One woman was yelling for me to shot the dog, while someone else was yelling for me to stay in car until backup arrives.

Two things struck me as amusing. First, that the dog appeared to know exactly what he was doing. If I did not know better I would have described his demeanor as smug. Secondly, that it was the first one of these calls I have answered in which the breed was as it was reported.

Something you should know about me is that I love dogs. And for as long as I can remember, I have never met one that did not like me.

With that in mind, I parked a short distance from the animal and exited my vehicle. I walked within a few meters of him, who was now watching me intently, and squatted down. I extended my hand and said cheerfully, "come here big fella". He rose to his feet, approached, sniffed, and sniffed some more. Comfortable now that I was not being mauled, I issued a few basic commands, all of which he obeyed without delay. I praised him enthusiastically, scratching behind the ears until he flopped over on his back to get a good tummy rub. A short time later he was sitting in the back of my patrol car. I should note here that I estimated the dogs weight at around 125 or better.

Once secured I spoke with the occupants of the cars. The frantic woman demanding gunfire turned out to be the caller, who explained to me that the dog had been in her yard and trued to attack her poodle. She went to describe her heroics as she got between the two animals and chased the giant man eater away with a stick. At the end of her rant I politely explained that I understood her desire to protect her pet, but that she placed herself in great danger by getting between thew two. She firmly stated that the next time she would just shoot it as I should have done when I arrived. I explained that from what I observed, he no longer appeared to be a threat. I explained that I would file the appropriate animal complaint as soon as I transported the dog to the animal shelter. She then asked if the dog was going to be "put down". I explained that we have a "no kill" shelter, and that with his gentle demeanor and good looks, he would probably be adopted in a short time. I could tell by the look on her face that she was not satisfied with the answer. I asked if there was anything else I could help her with, to which she merely shook her head in disgust. I bid her a good day and departed the area. I should have known that this case was not closed.

After getting my new friend settled in at the local shelter I got on the radio and reported that I was once again available for calls (10-8). The next radio traffic was my supervisor, asking me to come back to the station to discuss my latest citizens complaint. Apparently, I was very disrespectful to the caller, and did not take her report seriously. She also made it clear that the way I handled the dog was completely inappropriate considering the dangerous nature of the animal.

Once I explained the entire scenario to the boss, he assured me that the complaint against me would be unfounded, but stressed that I detail everything in my report.

As I left the station I reflected on the event and have come to the conclusion that the woman was probably a little embarrassed. I had arrived and essentially made her look foolish. I can't say for sure whether her claim that the dog was on her property was true or not. Or if it had tried to attack her poodle. I am fairly certain that if the big dog intended to eat her pet, it would have done so, just as it probably would have made short work of her and her stick. All I know is that during my interaction, the dog never demonstrated any threatening behavior. Even at the shelter, with dozens of other dogs barking as I walked him past their cages, he never once behaved aggressively. Come to think of it, he never even glanced at any of the other dogs.

Things that make you go,"hmmm?"