An Erie woman whose German shepherd was shot in the back by a police officer tearfully urged state senators to approve a bill requiring law enforcement officers to receive training on how to deal with dogs.
Brittany
Moore told her story twice Wednesday, first on the west steps of the Capitol at
a rally attended by dog lovers and then before the Senate Judiciary Committee,
which unanimously approved the bipartisan measure.
She
broke down several times, including when she recounted telling her 7-, 6- and 5-year-old-daughters
that their dog Ava was dead.
The measure — dubbed the "Don't Shoot My Dog" bill — next will be
heard by the full Senate. The measure requires sheriff's and police departments
to develop training programs that prepare law enforcement for encounters with
dogs. The training emphasizes how to recognize dog behaviors and employ
non-lethal methods to control dogs.
Sponsors
Sens. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, and David Balmer, R-Centennial, brought their
dogs to the rally, as did others who supported Senate Bill 226.
"This
bill is about animals we hold dear," Guzman said.
Moore
was among several witnesses who became emotional as they described their pets
being shot by police.
She
called police May 10, 2011, because of threatening calls she was receiving.
She
said the officer initially went to the wrong house, and as he was walking to
her home, her "friendly and curious" dogs, Ava and Ivy, walked toward
him. She said the officer put his hand on his gun and backed up.
"I
yelled to Ava, and she stopped and turned and looked at me. That's when we made
eye contact," Moore said.
The
officer fired.
"A
rawhide bone fell from Ava's mouth, and she made the most awful sound that I
have ever heard and immediately fell to the ground," Moore said. "She
tried to get up one last time, but her hind legs wouldn't work because her
spinal cord was severed."
She
said police told her they "had to" shoot the dog because it was a
threat.
"Ava
never posed a threat at any time that night," Moore said. "The only
threat that night was an officer discharging his weapon less than five feet
away from me in a neighborhood with kids playing outside."
Another
witness, a former deliveryman for UPS, said he encountered dogs regularly
during his 14 years on the job but the idea of hurting one was
"unthinkable."
"I'm
not a dog whisperer," he said, to laughter. "I just used common sense
... and a little restraint."
At
the rally, the song "Who Let the Dogs Out?" blared as dog lovers
waved signs, including ones that read "Pro dogs, Pro cops, Pro 226"
and "Protect our Fur-Kids."
Balmer
asked several questions about dogs, including "Why do we have slobber
marks all over the sliding glass doors?" and "Why do we say yes to
whatever the vet says it will cost for a procedure?" and "Why have we
spent so much time writing this bill?"
He
then led the crowd in chanting the answer: "Because we love our
dogs."