AIBU to think that something other than killing this dog could have been done?

[NotGonnaAnswerThePhone]

This is such a terrible story and not to be read by the fainthearted.

I understand that the dog could have caused an accident even at 3am when traffic is a lot quieter but surely they could have tranquilised it? Shit, even shooting it would have been more humane than accelerating towards it at such a high speed to ensure the dog would be killed outright.

I can understand why the policemen couldn't catch it on foot. What I can't understand is how they managed to hit it, at such speed from a standstill, when the dog was running around a road with crash barriers either side and with crash barriers in middle of the road, which the dog could have easily of got though. Where it happened is also by a bend and is on a hill. It just doesn't make sense that they could be that accurate in their driving when the dog is running around.

And the local hunts have said they aren't missing any hounds, and well, all the other reasons given upthread.

Of course, I suppose it could all be a lie and the local hunt wanted rid of a dog cos it was too slow to catch a fox so the local pigs coppers agreed to run it over, make it look like an accident, but then fucked it up cos they wos fick!

Yeah! That'll be it.

According to the BBC the dog had gone missing from a hunt.

Ah! Earlier reports said that 2 local hunts had said they were missing no dogs. Now I see that the owner, who fully backs the police in their actions, did indeed report the dog missing from a hunt.

That same BBC report does also explain that they considered other actions but found non workable. And it reiterates that an enquiry has begun!

Sometimes in life there is a choice between a shitty choice and a really shitty choice. I suspect this was one of those times.

For those saying it would have been more humane to shoot it - I'm not convinced. Shooting is only immediate if you get the brain / heart directly. Otherwise it can be very painful and slow.

There is no way that even if the marksman had decided to risk lives and shoot that it could have guaranteed to hit in such an accurate place.

But the advantage of shooting is that it is a small hole. It isn't "yicky". For the humans who have to clean up afterwards. An animal hit by a car is most unpleasant for the humans involved but quick and painless for the dog.

So more humane for the humans, less humane for the dog.

An out of control horse or cow would have been shot by the Firearms squad. They are a much bigger target than a medium sized dog!

Blanche
The police confirmed at 6pm tonight that the owner was a hunt and it had goner missing during the day
But don't let the published fact get in the world at of a good story, right?

hairy, the most likely explanation is that they saw an opportunity and took it. Of course they couldn't have known that they would definitely be able to hit the dog.

However, there is no guarantee that closing a road would have enabled them to catch the dog either, particularly in the dark. How long a stretch of road do you close, and when do you decide to re-open it?

If it had been shot and injured it could well have slunk off somewhere to hide and died in pain over several hours. TV seems to have us an odd idea of how easy it is to shoot accurately.

Round here hunts sometimes loose hounds. They tend to then drive round sounding a hunting horn until they get it back. I can see why they're so anxious about it now.

'A55 is quiet at 3am.'

I really don't understand how on page 10 of this thread people are still writing this when it has been explained over and over that the first reports came in at three and then it took a couple of hours to try and catch the dog before this happened.

'I wonder if they would have done the same if it was a pet dog as oppose to one a hunt carelessly left behind?'

I feel sorry for the dog, the owner and the policemen who were both dog owners themselves who had to make a shitty choice in a shitty situation.

Also, just to add, the bbc report states that the dog was reported as being "between the Conwy tunnel and the llanfairfechan roundabout". For those that don't know the area, that's a long way, probably about 3 or 4 miles, if not a bit more. It may well be that the report is wrong, and they actually mean one of the tunnels that is nearer to the roundabout, either Penmaenbach or Pen Y Clip. But if it's accurate, that's a massive stretch of road to close, approaching morning rush hour, with various slip roads and possibly a couple of tunnels. And to try and catch a fast, angry dog in that area would, I imagine, be almost impossible, even with greater resources than they had available.

And to try and catch a fast, angry dog in that area would, I imagine, be almost impossible, even with greater resources than they had available

I actually would still like to know, even if they could close the road, even if dog wardens or rspca could come out, just what exactly could he done even then.

I'm. pretty sure that even then the outcome would still be that the dog collapsed with exhaustion/died of a heart attack.

or tortured with half in darts (not without risks themselves ) or peppered with bullets. anyone who got remotely close would be bitten.

Like every other road, the A55 must have its fair share of dead foxes, badgers, squirrels, rabbits and cats. It's likely that this dog wasn't the only animal to be killed on that stretch of road last week. The only way to prevent animal death on roads would be to close all roads to traffic permanently.

Just seen Kay Burley's comments on this - not exactly words of wisdom

Just seen Kay Burley's comments on this - not exactly words of wisdom

To be fair, this sentence could be applied to basically every report Kay Burley has ever made.

Very glad a solution was achieved that led to no human injury or loss of life. Respect to the police for pulling that off under difficult circumstances. This could've been much, much worse. Let's hope minimal public money is pissed away in this enquiry. And that's it's happening for a legitimate reason, rather than to appease all the silly, silly twats out there baying for blood.

It can't have been an easy task to run the dog over. Did they need a run up? Did the police car have to swerve across as the dog changed direction?

Ive travelled that stretch of road a lot in the past when my daughter was at uni. It's is a motorway, in all but name and I've also travelled to and from the ferry both during the night. There are a lot of HGVs around at that time. It is always busy throughout the day. The particular stretch of that road is a nightmare in road traffic control situations.

I feel every sympathy for the officers involved. It would not have been a light decision to make. It would have been easy to kill the dog by speeding as the road going to the ferry is higher than the road returning, at that part.

Yes Jizzy, agreed.

I can't believe that in these times of cuts, cuts, cuts, money is being wasted on an enquiry.

Bloody Kay Burley. Feck off you grief harpy.

What has she said now?

Sparechange Thank you for pointing out my error, that I had already acknowledged and explained. Very kind of you not to let RTFT get in the way of a good sneer

Paul, she has said "Shame on you"

But whilst trying to find that I also found she posted a picture of a sad looking dog as if that conveyed the enormity of the Paris attacks. She's just awful.

Is she morphing into a new Gloria Hunniford? Shame in you is one of her 'catchphrases these days!

I'm hoping amithatbloodycold that it's not a grand scale, heads may roll enquiry. But rather an internal thing to see if a procedure can be designed for next time something like this happens. No retribution just efficency, type thing. But if it's actually the former, let's get up a petition to force Kay Burley and mrsgentlybenevolent to cover all costs.

Ah yes 'Sadness in his eyes' dog. The woman is a prat.