Over 15,000 people have signed a petition asking for justice for a dog named Monkey who was shot and killed by a Lake Charles, La. police officer.
The terrible events unfolded back on July 2 while Lake Charles police officers were in pursuit of individuals who were suspected of being involved in a robbery and a carjacking.
According to KPLC TV, one of the suspects opened the gate to the yard where Monkey was located. In the chaos, Monkey ran out of the yard and barked at one of the officers who was involved in the foot chase.
Apparently, the officer felt that the barking dog was a threat to his life, because he chose to shoot Monkey several times - she died not far from her own yard.
Now, owner Chris Crochet wants to know why deadly force was used on Monkey, stating:
"She had not ripped his clothes, she had not tried to bite him, and he shot her instead of trying to use pepper spray or some non lethal force,"
It is a question seen time and again in instances of lethal force used on family dogs...why are guns so frequently the first option utilized by officers?
Why is barking equated to a full on deadly attack?
For the sake of argument, what might one of these police officers do if they were approached by a dog while out on a walk?
Perhaps a dog who is outside with their owner and who begins to bark when they see a stranger's approach?
Out of uniform and enjoying a leisurely pursuit, would the individual feel that their life was in danger?
Most people, the author of this column as well, have been approached by off-leash dogs while enjoying a walk. In fact, on Monday of this week, two yellow Labradors were in front of their home while I was walking my dog - one began to bark and ran up to where I was on the opposite sidewalk.
I yelled loud enough for the owner to hear that the dog needed to "go home" and sure enough, the owner came out and the dog went home.
At no point did I feel that my life, or that of my dog, was in jeopardy.
If that same dog had responded in the same manner to an officer, would the dog have been shot dead? One would like to think not, but of late, the seemingly unjustified shootings of family pets seems to be all too common.
If you are interested in joining the thousands of individuals who would like to see this particular incident investigated further, please click here to sign the current petition.
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I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
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