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It wasn't a very merry Christmas for Michel Morauw, the manager of the Park Hyatt Washington Hotel. NBC4 reports that an MPD officer shot and killed Morauw's dog on Monday in a small park adjacent to Rock Creek Park at 24th and N Streets NW.
The officer reportedly said he was on foot patrol and entered the park "when an unleashed dog attacked him." The officer fired his gun at the dog, and the dog died from the gunshot wound.
Morauw naturally disputes the claim that his dog, Scooby, was about to attack the police officer, though he admits the dog was off of its leash.
Whatever really happened, the shooting death of a pet is no way to ring in the holiday season, for anyone involved. Our condolences to Morauw.
UPDATE: City Desk has more on the Fox 5 coverage of the doggy shooting -- which shows that Scooby loved America and apple pie and therefore must not have been trying to attack the officer.
Photo by stickywikit
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what a dick!
What, he should have let the dog attack him? People's dogs are always harmless to them, but they can be aggressive with strangers. Also how am I supposed to know whether your dog is jumping on me to lick my face or bite my nose off?
So anytime a dog is unleashed and running toward a police officer the cop can fire at the dog? And if he misses and hits a (human) bystander, that's a risk we take?
Don't police officers carry pepper spray? Macing might be a proportionate and sensible response, but gunfire is absurd.
maybe the officer just saw "No Country For Old Men". I know I get my training on animal interaction from the movies.
Shooting the animal was probably not the best option, but this has to serve as an excellent example of why DC has a leash law. Dogs on a leash won't charge out into oncomming traffic - or charge a trigger happy police officer.
When did Michael Vick join the force?
Aw yes... Great way to publicize the leash law. By that logic, the DC police can now enforce other laws of similar gravity (turning without signaling, driving while talking on cellphones, etc: both potentially as deadly as an unleashed dog) with the godlike roar of massive firepower.
BEHOLD, JAYWALKER: eat hot lead, foul anarchist bastard!
Thus, a dream come true. Each policeman now stands atop his own mountain summit, moustache whiskers blowing in the apocalyptic wind with head back, shouting feral madness at the sky as their elite force slaughters the double-parked soccer-mom and her lawless ilk in the blood-soaked streets below.
Let her perforated carcass be a lesson to you all, you godless destroyers of civilization...
Shooting a dog name Scooby = the terrorists have won.
Shooting a jaywalker = Swift American justice.
So there's an unleashed boxer that is coming towards you in the dark? Maybe he shouldnt have been shot, but the police office has every right to be afraid!
This is not a dachsund or chihuahua we're talking about. I've seen some scary boxers.
I've heard other rumors that the dog is an illegal. In our country, living off my tax dollars, taking scraps away from other hard-working American dogs.
I'm not saying this is the proper way to deal with dogs here illegally, but this wouldn't have happened if we would finally nail shut the doggy doors on our country's border fence.
"Stories about pets who are shot to death seemingly write themselves..."
Ah, but what about stories of dog writers who shoot themselves?
Naming my next dog Hemingway...
Running through Rock Creek park and other green areas in the city, I've often been aggressively approached by unleashed dogs. I don't like it and some of them can look quite vicious or uncontrolled. But instead of Cheneying them I usually yell "stay!" and back away until the owner can get it under control. Not perfect, but it's a lot cleaner.
This is ridiculous folks. If you have a problem with DC's leash law either work to get it changed, or work to get more dog parks in your neighborhood like myself and other dog owners are doing in my hood.
Everyone's dog is the 'sweetest most well behaved critter' until they're not. Does anyone really believe this officer shot the dog 'just for the hell of it'? Do you know the administrative and potentially career-wrecking drama any officer involved in a shooting has to go through? Really think they did this just for kicks?
Look, I'm a vegetarian/animal loving/dog owner, but this tragedy for everyone involved could have been avoided if the dog owner just used his brain and followed the law.
It's getting so that cops can't shoot anything these days without getting a rash of shit for it. Hell in a handbasket, people. Hell in a handbasket.
Well, if the cop was justified, and DC loses the Supreme Court Second Amendment case, we should all be able to pack and shoot at unleashed dogs. Now THEN our children will be safe. . .
I really wish folks would learn the damn facts about the upcoming DC supreme court gun case if they're going to spout off about it. It has nothing to do with concealed/open carry of firearms, just home ownership. Oh well, I guess it's just more fun to follow the great American tradition of having an opinion without knowing anything substantive to back it up.
cop = trigger happy freak
scooby's owner = a bit irresponsible
scooby = just being a dog
what a downer!
It has nothing to do with concealed/open carry of firearms, just home ownership.
Also has nothing to do with cops carrying around guns. How dare they!?
Ontario dude, the case goes to the fundamental meaning of the Second Amendment, i.e., whether the Second Amendment prohibits abridgment of the right of citizens to possess arms for use in a state militia, or whether the state militia language is incidental and the amendment prohibits abridgment of the rights of citizens to possess arms -- period.
To be sure, the question the Court agreed to decide appears narrow:
The Question nevertheless implicates the core meaning of the Second Amendment, and the court below addressed the core meaning squarely. If the Supremes don't dodge the issue by finding the amendment doesn't apply to the District because it's not a state (which wouldn't bode well for the current approach to gaining congressional representation), or on some alternative ground such as standing, everything's in play.So, while my suggestion that we may all be able legally to spray parks with bullets soon was facetious, your suggestion that the case can ave no effect on concealed carry laws in the District is baseless.
You people are too goddamned serious.
Ontario:
Um, the vast majority of park space in many DC neighborhoods in DC is owned by National Park Service. No amount of local lobbying is going to talk NPS into making dog parks. NPS owns every single green space within about 15 blocks of my home and they ain't allowing fenced in dog parks, no matter what.
Locals have been lobbying for dog parks since as long as anyone can remember, to no avail.
The simple truth is DC has damn few places you can legally take your dog off leash, despite decades of resident's efforts to create dog parks.
Ontario:
Oblivious has a great point. Yes, the gun case in question deals specifically with home ownership. But the underlying question is a 2nd Amendment question. And the 'right to carry' folks are all over this, as they clearly believe the case bears on ALL 'second amendment' rights. To suggest that it doesn't isn't a really supportable stance.
Yes, future court decisions may say a 'right to carry' in DC is not legally supportable even if a 'right to own' is, but they could just as easily decide otherwise, determined in large part by what the Supreme Court says in this case.
I actually wouldn't mind the Supremes overturning the DC gun ban. But I'd like it to be done honestly. Suggesting that this isn't at all related to the possibility of 'right to carry' in DC isn't an honest interpretation of what could (but won't necesarily) happen as a result of this case.
This isn't new. The police shoot dogs all the time. At traffic stops. In people's yards. At "unofficial" dog parks. It happens all the time. Heck, even the New York Times' dog got shot up. Police must not get any training with dogs whatsoever, because they usually have no idea what to do except shoot them.
I'm pretty skeptical that the dog posed any risk to the officer or acted aggressive in any way. I work as a dog walker in capitol hill and walk by the 5th & E substation on a regular basis. I run into a fair number of cops who are clearly very afraid of dogs on principle- the adult versions of kids who scream and run away any time they see someone within a block of them with a dog. None of my dogs are aggressive with people and they seldom even look at the officers, but I've seen several officers freeze with fear and back up when I have a husky, large boxer or even a lab- its ridiculous.
There's a dog park (it's not legal, but it's all going on right in front of the police and they accept it as a community dog park) right in front of the substation. Stories like this and the reaction I get whenever I'm walking anything other than a toy poodle is why I'll never take my dog to that park.
They really need to give officers who aren't familiar with dog behavior a bit of training- it's really not hard to tell if a dog is going to be aggressive with you, and there's plenty of ways to get out of it without having to shoot.
By the way, WUSA 9 provided much better coverage of the story if, you know, you want to present a report that isn't just fodder for snark. I think the owner's only fault was letting the dog out of his sight- you really shouldn't take your dog to a dog park and let them go anywhere you can't see them.
Leash law or no, this dog didn't deserve to SLOWLY BLEED TO DEATH IN THE STREET because he was off-leash in what was an unofficial dog park. There are many parks where the community has come to a consensus that the area is a "dog park" or has a "dog park area" and law enforcement does nothing to enforce the leash law- Lincoln Park, Marion Park (right across the street from a police substation), Garfield Park. These are places where people don't expect to get a TICKET let alone have their dog get SHOT...in the chest...and slowly bleed to death in front of their children.
Great thread. It's got everything: trigger-happy DC cops, the 2nd Amendment, a dead dog, two completely conflicting Rashomon-esque accounts of what happened. All it needs is some embryonic stem cells and tentacle porn and I'd nominate it for a Pulitzer.
Speaking of tentacle porn, I really have to question the appropriateness of certain breeds of canine in an urban setting. Chihuahuas are one thing, but jack russel terriers really need a lot of space to run around and do their thing; otherwise, they go bats**t crazy, tear up your condo, etc. Then you have breeds that have a known high-bite ratio, like collies and chows. I suppose, like parenthood, it all depends on the "owner:" stupid people tend to breed stupid pets/kids. Which is why I highly recommend trading in those four-legged-lawsuits-waiting-to-happen on a nice, friendly squid. (You thought I forgot about that tentacle porn bit, didn't you?)
Cephalopods are highly-intelligent, can be taught basic algebra, and an adult has the same intellectual capacity of a 5-year-old child/30-dog-year canine. They also make great conversation pieces when taken for a scrape around the neighborhood. And for when you can't get a date Saturday night, well, let's just say re-enacting The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife [NSFW] beats a vibrating egg or a gym sock any day.
Another selfish dog-owner thinking he and his dog are above the law. Unless egregious use of excessive force can be indisputably proven, critics of the cop should shut their yaps. Arf!
Another selfish dog-owner thinking he and his dog are above the law. Unless egregious use of excessive force can be indisputably proven, critics of the cop should shut their yaps. Arf!
They really need to give officers who aren't familiar with dog behavior a bit of training- it's really not hard to tell if a dog is going to be aggressive with you, and there's plenty of ways to get out of it without having to shoot.
Don't know if this constitutes the entirety of the training. But this note was posted by an MPD assistant chief on the 3rd District Yahoo group:
"In 2005, the Humane Society did a presentation for the RANGE requalification rounds… there is now a video tape that is viewed by officers at retraining (2x a year) describing animal behavior , etc…."
This cop's not going to get his gun back, right? Maybe he can have it back after some lengthy desk duty on the condition that it is disassembled and the ammunition is kept in a separate location.
This is an awful story. This officer must have come from the same homicidal pool of applicants used by MetroBus.
This cop's not going to get his gun back, right? Maybe he can have it back after some lengthy desk duty on the condition that it is disassembled and the ammunition is kept in a separate location.
This is an awful story. This officer must have come from the same homicidal pool of applicants used by MetroBus.
It's sad because there isn't a clear cut "right" side here. If the dog was in its owner's line of sight he could have called him back, especially after seeing the officer's reaction. However, officers carry pepper spray and tasers and batons for a reason. Using a firearm is supposed to be an absolute last resort.
Now, there's no way to tell how the dog reacted towards the officer (although my gut tells me it was being playful, otherwise shame on the owner for letting an aggressive dog run loose), and I'm quite sure the officer won't be reprimanded.
As an owner of two dogs (one of whom is large, 75 lbs), this story makes me angry at both the officer AND the owner. And awfully sad for Scooby.
while it is irresponsible and, as we see, dangerous for the dog, as well as the public, for owners to let their dogs without leashes--the cop here over-reacted. did he really need to shoot the dog?
while it is irresponsible and, as we see, dangerous for the dog, as well as the public, for owners to let their dogs without leashes--the cop here over-reacted. did he really need to shoot the dog?
Maybe none of you have been attacked by a dog, but it is not a pleasant experience. Dogs, although wonderful family pets, are animals and can inflict serious damage to humans. In the few seconds one has to assess a situation and make a decision, one can become a victim. I love animals, especially dogs, and I know just how much of a part of the family they can be. But, I do not know you and I do not know your dog and if I'm faced with a potential threat (in my mind) I will act accordingly. Don't think that the officer is happy about having to act as was necessary. Owning an animal is a responsiblity and there's no glory in Monday morning quarterbacking.
Be safe,
-Coop