Area Deputies Train in Dog Handling After Recent Shooting Cases

Deputies and other Law Enforcement officers across the region have to put themselves into dangerous situations, some of them involving animals.

In Pinellas County after a recent shooting involving an elderly Golden Retriever, deputies undergo new training to show them how to be more effective in dealing with animals, so fewer officers and animals get hurt, said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The response by police to animal complaints was questioned recently when an officer in St. Petersburg fatally shot and killed the Golden Retriever, and when a Manatee County deputy , after a mistaken call to 911. The animal had to be euthanized.

At the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, deputies demonstrated how they are able to capture and contain animals in their squad cars with the use of a pole. At a press conference, they also showed techniques for calming animals. Gualtieri said that the methods have kept deputies from using lethal force in some extreme sitations, which included corralling an alligator.

Gualtieri also noted that it is the role of his department to respond to all complaints, even those involving unruly animals. Last month, St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon announced that his officers would no longer respond to animal calls unless the animals posed an immediate threat to humans.

In Manatee County, Animal Services typically responds to all animal calls, including dangerous animals. But, as in the case on Sunday, deputies can be surprised by dogs whether in executing a search warrant or answering a 911 call to a home.

In Manatee County, the sheriff's office on Thursday released a list of all animal shootings since 2008. Deputies have shot a total of 15 animals in three years, the list includes a wild hog, a coyote, an injured raccoon and an injured deer.

In those three years duputies have shot dogs seven times, averaging a little over two dogs a year. Most of the times the breed is not noted, but the breeds that are noted include a pit bull, a Rotweiler and a Great Dane. In one other incident, a deputy discharged a weapon at a Pit Bull but missed.

In one of the cases, the deputy killed a severly injured pit bull so that the dog did not have to suffer.

The Sheriff's internal affairs department investigated every animal shooting and in every case since 2008 the officers were cleared.

Sunday's shooting of the Bull Mastiff/Pit Bull Mix is the eighth shooting of a dog in three years. It is currently under review by Internal Affairs, a routine procedure whenever a deputy discharges his gun.

Manatee County Animal Services does not train the sheriff's department in how to handle aggressive animals, but it has provided information on training oopportunities. The agency has done some training with the Bradenton Police Department.