Batavia dog shooting raises questions

A Batavia police officer shot and wounded a stray dog Sunday morning, fearing the animal was about to attack him.

Now the dog's owner has received a ticket for allowing the dog to run at large and the shooting has sparked debate on Facebook as to whether police are prejudiced against pit bulls.

The dog survived.

According to a police department news release, a motorist flagged the officer down at 9:25 a.m. and reported a black-and-white pit bull was walking loose on West Wilson Street near Lincoln Street.

The officer found the dog two blocks away at Wilson and Harrison streets. He got out of his car with a leash, but the dog began barking and digging, a sign of aggression, according to the release.

The dog ran at the officer “several times,” the release said. The officer offered it several dog cookies, which the pit bull took, but then it charged the officer.

The officer retreated behind his vehicle and called for another officer to bring a dog-catch pole.

A man walking on the other side of the street told the officer the dog was usually tied up on North Harrison and the officer began walking there. The dog charged, with its teeth showing; the officer backed away, but fell. As the dog reached the officer's feet, the officer shot the animal twice. The dog ran off.

The dog then attacked another dog a block away, at Jefferson and Houston streets, police said. The owner of the other dog was able to separate the two.

The injured dog then went home and eventually was treated by a veterinarian.

The owner, Jennifer M. Atkinson, of the 0-100 block of North Harrison, was charged with letting a dog run at large, a city ordinance violation.

According to police, a passer-by saw what happened to the officer and the dog, and verified the officer's account.

Atkinson could not be reached for comment. But pictures of the injured dog have been posted on a Facebook page that appears to be hers, followed by a comment of “She is not an aggressive dog and its sad that pit bulls have such a bad reputation! My only question is why twice? One shot was enough ... two shots??? Ur shooting to kill!” She also wrote that the dog had broken its chain.

Commenters have asked why the officer couldn't have used pepper spray, a Taser or a baton to stop the dog. And several questioned whether police would have shot the dog if it were another breed, instead of one that has a reputation for being aggressive.

Batavia police do not carry Taser-type weapons, Deputy Chief Dan Eul said, and the officer feared for his safety and did not have time to use other measures, such as pepper spray.