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Texas Matters: Why Did The Police Shoot My Dog?

Cleburne, Texas Police Department
Still from a body camera video of a Cleburne Texas police officer who shot a dog while on duty.

Based on incident reports gathered from various Texas cities, there were more 200 fatal shootings of animals in 2014. It’s been argued that many of these dog shooting were unnecessary and could have been prevented had the police officer had been trained to deal with dogs more effectively.

Credit Texas Legislature
Cole Middleton and his wife testify about the shooting of their dog Candy

If passed into law House Bill 593 would require certified law enforcement officers to have that training. Cole Middleton, a Texas farmer, testified this week about how a law enforcement officer shot and killed his dog Candy.

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi