Senior Golden Retriever shot by police

St. Petersburg, FL - When a large breed dog reaches 12 plus years of age, his guardian begins to think about "the end".

Pangs of concern, sometimes panic, begin to seep into day to day thoughts...

What ailment will steal away your loved one's life? Heart failure, cancer, or some other degenerative disease?

Few, if any, dog owners ever ponder their beloved senior companion being shot dead.

That nightmare was one family's reality back on October 2 when their 12 yr-old Golden Retriever, "Boomer", was shot and killed by a St. Petersburg police officer.

On that fateful night, Boomer has slipped through a defective gate at his own home and wandered a street away. 

Police received a non-emergency call about Boomer when he was discovered blocking the entrance to a home a block away.

The responding officers tried to lure Boomer into their patrol car, but the elderly dog did not get in - perhaps because he did not want to, or perhaps because he was too old and arthritic to be able to.

Moments later, Officer Misty Swanson claims that while she was attempting to look at Boomer's ID tags, he showed his teeth, growled and that she felt "threatened".

Rather than use pepper spray, a catch pole, or even a looped leash - the officer shot Boomer from just a few feet away.

Witnesses report that Boomer did not die quickly - he could be heard screaming in pain...the horrible sound of an animal dying from a mortal wound.

Tragically, those same witnesses describe a horrible scene of a dying dog crying in agony for at least 10 minutes.

Boomer's owners, Roy and Lauren Glass, did not even know what had happened to their dog until the next day when they received a call from the SPCA.

They were shocked and dismayed by the police officer's version which portrayed their beloved dog as "vicious".

Now, the Glass family is hoping for some form of justice after Boomer's death - something to prevent this from happening to another family's treasured companion.

A Facebook page has been created for Boomer - you can access "Boomer's Voice" at this link.

The Glass family shared this statement on the page this evening,

 We confirmed with Pinellas County Animal Services that: 1. They offer a comprehensive dog handling curriculum to all county law enforcement agencies lasting a week or so, with classroom and hands on in the shelter; 2. The St. Petersburg Police Department has not elected to send its officers to this course; and, IMPORTANTLY, the officers involved with Boomer's death never bothered to contact Animal Services for dog control assistance at anytime before or after the killing---which is unusual. Via Lauren and Roy Glass (Boomer's parents).

Obviously, from the family's statement, this department has much to learn when it comes to dealing with dogs at large.

Nothing will bring Boomer back, not take away the pain of knowing the tragic way that he died, but perhaps his death will bring about changes in those who work at the department which stole his life - changes which may save another life in the future.

Rest in Peace Boomer. Condolences to the Glass family.

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