K-9 Death Squad

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Last week police in Muskego, Wisconsin, went to the wrong house in response to a burglar alarm. Since there was no burglar to arrest there, they shot and killed the family dog instead.

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Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. No it is OK: for the dog was an Afghan Hound.

    wau-wau,
    KK

  2. the dog's owner

    I said “Put the dog out”, not “Put the dog down”!

  3. Mark S.

    Hey! I live in Muskego! As a matter of fact, I was working the “night desk” at the Waukesha Freeman that day and part of my job is to call the local PDs in Waukesha County and find out if anything went on. I called Muskego and was told by the shift commander that nothing of importance occured that day.

    Typical…

  4. MB

    Mr. Sullum, this is wildly unfair. Do you hate our boys in blue? Do you hate America? This shooting was clearly an isolated incident, the guilty will be punished, and, anyway, the victim was a dog, after all. This was clearly a case of preemptive action, as dogs have been known to bite. They also hate our freedom. The family involved should thank the police for sparing them from any future attacks the dog might have launched.

  5. joe

    On the upside, that’s one less demonic temptress to endanger the soul of Senator Santorum.

  6. Jennifer

    I read another version of this story which offers more detail. The cops are claiming that they shot the dog in self-defense (Jimbo from ‘South Park:’ “Shoot it! It’s comin’ right for us!”) but the owner pointed out that, contrary to the cops’ story, the dog was shot in the side of the head.

  7. thoreau

    On the upside, that’s one less demonic temptress to endanger the soul of Senator Santorum.

    Hah!

    I’m originally from Milwaukee, and I’d still take the Muskego PD over the Milwaukee PD any day. They may not have their own Rafael Perez, but they aren’t exactly Officer Friendly either.

  8. Gen. Janis Karpinski

    Saddam Hussein treated Iraqui dogs much worse than this.

  9. heh2k

    you guys are sick. :p

    that’s way f’ed up. if that happened to me, i probably be arrested for assaulting that cop. what an f’ing idiot. did he think the thief brought his own dog with him to break into houses? even if it WAS the right house, would shooting the dog have done any good? why is it shoot first, ask later when it comes to dogs? most dogs are not mean. if the dog was mauling him, i might understand the shooting, but that’s not the case. there was no reason to shoot the dog.

  10. Madog

    I guess the cop was a cat person.

  11. not really rick james

    Is the whole country beginning to model it’s behavior after skits on the Chapelle show?

    “I’m Rick James, bitch!”

  12. Don’t look now, folks, but my hubby is in mourning.

  13. Douglas Fletcher

    Who let the cops out?

  14. thoreau

    Doug-

    That was hilarious! I can just see some morning DJ in Milwaukee actually doing that. “Who let the cops out? hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo!”

  15. “To make matters worse, Davida watched the would-be burglar escape but, terrified after seeing his dog shot, didn’t say anything to police.”

    Show up at the right house next time!

  16. Tutor

    “…a 100-pound Mastiff, St. Bernard and German shepherd mix…”

    Shit, I would have tossed a grenade.

  17. John

    I would be in jail for beating the cop. What a moron. You can tell when a dog means to bite you and I can bet you a dollar to a doughnut that the dog did nothing of the sort. The fact is everytime you fire a weapon in public you put people in danger. You should only do it if its absolutely necessary. If the cop is too stupid and too panicy not to be able to keep himself from shooting the dog, he is not safe with a weapon and needs to be fired.

  18. s.a.m.

    Apparently Muskego cops treat dogs like NYPD cops treat black folk. Shoot first and say “oops” later.

  19. kevrob

    Mr. Davida was interviewed on local radio on Tuesday. His account and the officer’s version differ. See:
    http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/may04/226877.asp

    Muskego officials are pushing a line that the dog attacked the officer, and pushed him back several feet. Mr. Davida denies this.

    This will wind up in the courts, as Mr. Davida answered some questions with “my lawyer advises me not to speak to that.”

    Wrestling a mastiff-mix that is a stranger to me is not duty that I would care for.

    Kevin

  20. Bongos Family

    Check out this story everyone, follow the link. Apparently it is a trend in Muskego for law enforcement officers to go to the wrong house!

    http://www.mapinc.org/newscsdp/v01/n288/a10.html

    By the way, Jacob Davida is my brother. The police are, unsurprisingly, lying about what happened, probably to protect themselves and their reputation. Thus the differing stories. Anyone who ever met Bongo (including his lifelong vet) will vouch that he was the sweetest, most gentle dog, and not once did he EVER “lunge” at anyone in his whole life.
    This whole situation just makes me sick, absolutely sick. On top of it all now, the police don’t even have the decency to own up to their grievous error.

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