Bellingham police shoot 'aggressive' dog
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A police officer says he had only seconds to react to what he calls an agressive dog before he opened fire.
But owners of the Labrador-mix named Athena claim the dog would never lunge or growl at anyone.
Lisa Hart, whose boyfriend owns Athena, was just a few feet away when the incident took place.
"It happened in 10 seconds," she said.
Hart said she and several friends were playing frisbee golf when one of the discs went over the fence. Athena, off-leash at the time, followed a friend out of the fenced area and to where a couple Bellingham police officers happened to be.
" And she went running around the grass, and I heard one bar and then a shot. And I thought they had Tased her," said Hart.
But what she had heard was a gun shot fired by an officer. Athena had been hit in the snout.
Police officers say the dog was acting aggressively toward them.
"This was not the circumstance in which the officer believed the Taser would've been sufficient," said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. "Officers are trained to deal with a variety of circumstances. They have to make split decisions, and (in) this case, the officer felt compelled to protect himself."
Athena, who weighs nearly 70, now has a bullet lodged in her skull and can no longer see. Her condition could change day to day, according to her vet.
Bellingham police say the 10-year veteran officer and dog lover who shot Athena is troubled with the split-second decision he was forced to make.
Hart said she does not want to stay angry over the situation. She hopes Athena will make a full recovery, and the officer who shot her will make an apology.
The officer remains on duty as a review board investigates to determine whether there was any wrongdoing.
But owners of the Labrador-mix named Athena claim the dog would never lunge or growl at anyone.
Lisa Hart, whose boyfriend owns Athena, was just a few feet away when the incident took place.
"It happened in 10 seconds," she said.
Hart said she and several friends were playing frisbee golf when one of the discs went over the fence. Athena, off-leash at the time, followed a friend out of the fenced area and to where a couple Bellingham police officers happened to be.
" And she went running around the grass, and I heard one bar and then a shot. And I thought they had Tased her," said Hart.
But what she had heard was a gun shot fired by an officer. Athena had been hit in the snout.
Police officers say the dog was acting aggressively toward them.
"This was not the circumstance in which the officer believed the Taser would've been sufficient," said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. "Officers are trained to deal with a variety of circumstances. They have to make split decisions, and (in) this case, the officer felt compelled to protect himself."
Athena, who weighs nearly 70, now has a bullet lodged in her skull and can no longer see. Her condition could change day to day, according to her vet.
Bellingham police say the 10-year veteran officer and dog lover who shot Athena is troubled with the split-second decision he was forced to make.
Hart said she does not want to stay angry over the situation. She hopes Athena will make a full recovery, and the officer who shot her will make an apology.
The officer remains on duty as a review board investigates to determine whether there was any wrongdoing.
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