Prevent animal shootings

A dog is killed by a police officer in the United States approximately every 98 minutes. Many are owned by the very people who called the police for help in the first place. Ready for another statistic? No police officer in the U.S. has been killed by a dog in 50 years. The rally for Arfee, the Lab shot by Coeur d’Alene police, couldn’t come soon enough.

The shoot-first mentality concerning cops shooting dogs, for as little as barking at them in their own yard, or in Arfee’s case, their own vehicle, has become an epidemic nationwide. The police officer who shot Arfee needed to be named sooner, as well as fired. It’s the right thing to do. Let’s make Arfee’s senseless and totally preventable death a catalyst for change.

Police departments across this county need more than a few training videos to solve this issue. Mandatory classes using a certified dog-handler, who knows more than how to make a dog sit for a cookie, are desperately needed. Someone versed in properly approaching a barking dog, whether friendly or aggressive, who can teach respect of all animals, so the use of force is the last resort instead of the first.

Tia Rosetti-Mills

Newman Lake