WBAL's Ron Smith interviews the owner of Bear Bear, a Siberian Husky shot at an Anne Arundel County, Maryland dog park on the evening of Monday, August 2nd, 2010.
If you haven't heard about this story yet, it's very distressing. Originally Bear Bear's family was being stonewalled by Anne Arundel county police, who said that there was no evidence of criminal activity, and that no charges were being filed, and they would not release the name of the federal police officer that shot Bear Bear. Bear Bear later died of his injuries.
Due to public outcry, an Anne Arundel County Executive today announced that he is demanding an investigation into Bear Bear's shooting. Bear Bear's dad sent a note to a local blog about how he and his wife had been getting stonewalled all day by the Anne Arundel County police.
The Baltimore Sun reported about 30 minutes ago that due to public outcry, the Anne Arundel County Police have reversed their position and no longer consider the investigation complete. Please contact the following people to let them know how you feel about this incident. We NEED to keep the pressure on to ensure that they follow through with a thorough and FAIR investigation.
There is a photo gallery of photos of Bear Bear on the Baltimore Sun's site.
If you were at the dog park and witnessed the incident, PLEASE reach out to John Leopold, County Executive, at jleopold@aacounty.org. You can also contact the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Public Affairs Office (where the shooter works) and ask that the officer is suspended and his weapon is taken away until a fair and thorough investigation has been concluded. Do it for Bear Bear and his family.
My good friend Meeshka lives near this dog park and posted about what her humans found out when they went to the dog park tonight to put up a memorial for Bear.
Mom listened to WBAL most of Wednesday Afternoon - she khried AGAIN - she got pised AGAIN -
ReplyDeleteShe was furry impressed with the khomments made by the khallers and the host -
She also watched the 5pm news too -
We've blogged about it and have inkhluded updates on my Thursday post -
Mom keeps khalling it Bear's Legacy -
He was failed twice in his short life by UNhumans -
He'll make a difFURence this time -
Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
We've been checking out the stories & interviews since this happened. It horrifying to think that not even a dog park in a residential neighborhood is safe anymore. Such a very sad ending for Bear Bear & his family.
ReplyDeletejack a-roo & miss moo & mom
I ended up at this blog after browsing for dog blogs, but never thought that I would reas about a dog getting shot. This is cruel and should not be taken lightly. I am truly sorry about what heappened to Bear Bear.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago, but still all too fresh in my mind--a siberian husky killed our 2 1/2 year old son. The upper teeth severed the carotid artery, the lower severed his spinal column. One sudden, violent blow and his life was over. The officer's response was appropriate. Once an animal attacks a person, the debate is over. Giving the animal a second chance is not acceptable. Next time it could be a small child.
ReplyDeleteDouglas, I'm very, very sorry for what happened to your son. I can't imagine what you went through. Although none of us were there to see what happened, since the investigation has been re-opened, witnesses have come forward that contradict the shooter's statements, and the statements of the responding officers. Some of them are kids who were playing in the field next to the dog park.
ReplyDeleteResidents of that neighborhood are concerned about someone shooting a gun so close to their backyards and the open field where kids play. There is also a possibility that the shooter may not be an officer, but a contractor, and that he may not have been legally authorized to carry a concealed weapon.
The shooter said that Bear Bear had bitten his dog twice, yet the shooter's dog didn't have a single injury. That's why Animal Control didn't file a report. God forbid this man panic and shoot inappropriately again in the future - next time it could be a person with a cell phone in their hand. The public and the residents of that neighborhood deserve to know the truth, and if the officer did break the law, he needs to be held accountable.