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 hope the owners are prosecuted too

A taser, if they managed to get it on target, would have sent so many volts into the poor dog it would have been a far longer more painful death than the one it suffered.

But it's OK. MrsGently will finally reveal all her other options that should have been followed shortly so we can all go "Oh yes, why did no one else think of that?"

Warmworm, try reading the facts as set out in this thread and come back and tell us whether you are still of that opinion.

Warmworm have you read the thread or shall we just all start the conversation again.

Bathtime, no, only a select number of police carry Tasers, as they have to be well trained to use them.

I am just wondering what they would have done had the loose animal been a horse or a cow, which is possible round here certainly, even on a pretty busy road. They wouldn't have been able to run said livestock over, so I assume they would have closed the road?

Taser isnt a realistic option on a small agitated moving target in the dark . It relies upon both barbs making contact , and it means getting within about 15 feet and for the dog to stay still long enough . If you factor in the dogs stress levels , I can't imagine that pointing a shiny green or red light at it from the taser would have helped , because it would partly have fled out of range before the taser would have been able to fire .

And of course , the dog wouldn't have understood the shouted instructions post discharge , so it could have got really mad . It doesn't necessarily render the subject totally immobile

YANBU
poor thing

I would have closed the road, called in the dog unit or whatever regulations the police usually have to follow to catch an animal in the road. What exactly do you want me to say as a non-trained officer? I'm not going to say 'well after all is said and done, hitting it with a car was the best option'. Just because it was likely to knock it out/kill it, doesn't mean that it didn't just leave it in a lot of pain before dying. I don't have the answer, but I'm allowed to believe dangerously driving and hitting an animal is the right way of dealing with it either. Others may think that's a stupid opinion, but as I said, just my opinion and I stand by it. I wouldn't wish any animal or person be taken out this way - doing something bad for the greater good does not make it ok. However, I feel I have said enough on the matter, and most do not agree with my thoughts which is fair enough. I'll be interested to see what the investiagtion comes out with, until then I think I shall leave my thoughts there.

Thanks for all the taser info :)

Guess that was a dumb idea.

Good point about a cow or a horse.

A cow might not move so quickly and erratically maybe, but a horse might.

Well a very quick follow of a couple of link reveals that a few years ago the police in the same area did use a taser, on a ram, that was returned unharmed to its owner. So, given that I don't think all police officers have their brain cells removed at the start of every shift, I would imagine they thought of that and discounted it as a possibility.

Oh Lord, haven't read all the replies but they had to do it. Not a decision taken lightly I'm sure; but had there been an fatal accident and a child killed, people would have questioned why they didn't just run the dog over. I'm happy with their approach.

Incidentally a HGV should not be swerving to avoid an animal on the road risking other road users. He should have hit it. I am a dog owner but no aminal worth risking human life.

I am just wondering what they would have done had the loose animal been a horse or a cow, which is possible round here certainly, even on a pretty busy road. They wouldn't have been able to run said livestock over, so I assume they would have closed the road?

I expect a horse or a cow would have collapsed with the stress and exhaustion or broken it's legs trying to escape. expect the farmer would have come and shot it if he or she had a gun?

sad to say I expect with a horse there would have been a serious accident pretty quickly.

Needastrongone - It was a ram on the A55 a few years ago and the police tasered it.

owl
Prosecuted for what?
We have no idea of the circumstances of the dog being lose. It could have escaped during a burglary, for example.
I'm sure the owners are sad enough. What on earth does wasting more police time with a prosecution achieve?

I've read quite a few times of loose livestock. Normally there is a farmer nearby and he comes out and shoots it.

doing something bad for the greater good does not make it ok.

Hmm, that is a very interesting area of ethics, but killing a dog to prevent a person being killed by a truck is something most people would consider a moral requirement.

What would the dog unit have that would have changed things anyway?

a dart or a gun and a catch pole.

none of which were viable options at the time

Because it was dangerous. Vicious and biting people

I know someone who received life changing injuries from an escaped 'guard' dog. It needs to be taken seriously
And yes, I have a dog. I've even had an escape artist dog, but if you have a vicious dog, you damn well make sure it does not get out and if it does and attacks people you should be prosecuted for it. Or doesn't it matter because they are police?

I'm in a right fucking mood though

I would have closed the road

How, at 3- 6 a.m. and given all the difficulties identified above re lack of available officers and cars, the need to shut slip roads overnight, and the weight of speeding traffic at that time? And how would closing the road guarantee that the dog wouldn't just run back onto the area that wasn't closed?

called in the dog unit or whatever regulations the police usually have to follow to catch an animal in the road.

They're not available at night time.

What exactly do you want me to say as a non-trained officer?

You're the one who keeps saying they could have done something else. You need to be able to say what that was.

I don't have the answer, but I'm allowed to believe dangerously driving and hitting an animal is the right way of dealing with it either.

Sure, you're allowed to believe that elephants fly if you want.

Others may think that's a stupid opinion, but as I said, just my opinion and I stand by it.

Fine, but you don't get opinions out of nothing: you need some facts to back them up if you want people to take them at all seriously.

The police have just confirmed the dog was a foxhound missing from a local hunt...
This should get interesting now, not least from PETA

It also means this was not a trained pet dog that would have been easily caught or called over, and would be more akin to dealing with a wild animal than domestic pet

How weird
Have people started hunting more again?
I've seen two in a few months. One on foot (beagles) and then last week on horses
I hadn't seen any 5 years previous to that living here
(I don't live in Wales, just an agricultural county)

Just because it was likely to knock it out/kill it, doesn't mean that it didn't just leave it in a lot of pain before dying

If it is knocked out or dead, how is it in pain?