Another shooting

Police shoot pit bull
Animal is killed in Aurora after attacking a dog and chasing a man to his door

By Brian D. Crecente
Rocky Mountain News

June 15, 2004 - Aurora police shot and killed a 103-pound pit bull terrier on Monday after the dog broke through a fence, attacked a neighbor's dog and chased the neighbor to his door.


The pit bull's owner blames his dog's aggressive behavior on two of his female pit bulls that he says were in heat.

Aurora animal-control officers have not decided whether they will pursue charges in the case.

Claudia Torres, 29, had chained her collie-shepherd mix, Rocky, in her front yard in the 4300 block of North Macon Street after a series of burglaries at homes in her neighborhood.

About 4 a.m., Torres' brother-in-law woke to the sound of dogs fighting. When he went to the front door, he saw three dogs attacking Rocky.

A pit bull named Oscar, described by his owner as 22 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing 103 pounds, was the main aggressor. Two smaller female pit bulls were at his side.

"When (my brother-in law) tried to go outside, they came after him," Claudia Torres said. "He tried to scare them with water, and threw shoes at them, and it didn't work - nothing worked."

So he woke up Torres and her husband. Torres called the police, and her husband went outside to separate the dogs with a board.

Blows to Oscar's head did little to deter the attack.

"The two small dogs ran, but the bigger dog wouldn't run. It was holding Rocky by the neck," she said. "Then my husband hit him harder and the dog ran at him."

Oscar charged the homeowner, chasing the man back through the front door, then trying to claw his way in.

A few minutes later, Oscar turned and walked back down the street toward his home, Torres said.

Police found the dogs in their front yard, in the 2200 block of North Macon Street, about 4:30 a.m.

One of the officers fired a stun gun, but instead of immobilizing the dog, the electric shock enraged him. Oscar turned on one of the officers, who shot him twice with a gun.

The wounded dog ran back to Torres' home and collapsed in the yard. He died later at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital.

The two female pit bulls, Sandy and Missy, were not injured. They were found a few hours later by animal-control officers, and are being held at Aurora Animal Control.

Rocky was treated at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital and is expected to survive.

Shortly after the incident, Oscar's owner, Simon Davis, 23, went to Torres' home to apologize and offer to pay the bills.

Davis, who moved to the neighborhood less than a week ago, said his pit bulls broke through his picket fence, likely after seeing a cat or other animal.

He said Oscar was usually a very sedate and friendly dog.

"The dog is a big teddy bear," he said. "I have kids and a family - they are always around him."

Davis said he is upset that the police shot his dog instead of coming to get him.

He blames the shooting on a prejudice against pit bulls.

"They just shot because it was a pit bull," he said. "If it was a Labrador that got in a fight, a Chihuahua, the police would not have shot. If it was a poodle, that dog would not have been shot."

 

True if it was anything but pit, they wouldn't have shot it. The police are also prejudiced against pits, probably by their training officers. IMO