Boomer's Family and Fans Want St. Petersburg Police to Stop Shooting Pets

It's a pet owner's worst nightmare: their senior, arthritic dog gets out of the yard, but instead of finding his way home or to the safety of a friendly neighbor, he's shot and killed by police. That's what happened to Boomer, the 12-year-old golden retriever of Lauren and Roy Glass of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Boomer was less than a block from his home when he died. According to Roy Glass, not only did the police fail to call him, they never even called Animal Services as they should have done per Pinellas County Ordinance. Instead, Boomer became the seventh dog shot by St. Petersburg Police this year.

When Nancy Smith heard Boomer's story, she started a petition on Change.org, with the help of the internet-based volunteer group Hand4Paws, asking St. Petersburg officials to establish new training protocols and policies for police dealing with dogs. Even though she doesn’t live in St. Petersburg, Ms. Smith felt compelled to act because she too owns a senior golden retriever who now growls when you try to lift him on the bed or into the SUV. But that shouldn’t be a death sentence.

The sad reality is that, although there is roughly one dog for every four people in the United States, most police officers receive little or no training in canine behavior.

Boomer’s family is grieving. According to Roy Glass, “That grief is real, severe, and continuing, passing from sorrow to anger. With the help of others, we established the “Boomer’s Voice” Facebook page to improve pet handling in police training and education, and to sponsor and promote legislation to provide a means of statutory redress for the deliberate or reckless injury of killing of pets by others."

Boomer's story also touched Peter Fitzgerald, a Professor of Law at Florida's Stetson University who is involved in dog rescue. “Proper training for police officers and others likely to be involved in dog related incidents is crucial," said Professor Fitzgerald. "While there may be circumstances where lethal force is appropriate and required in an encounter with a dog or any animal, that should be the very last resort. There are certainly many more situations where non-lethal alternatives might be more appropriate, especially when the animal is collared and tagged and appears to be socialized as a pet.”

The majority of Americans now view their dogs as family and are outraged by dog shootings. The U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office recently issued a publication entitled, The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters to help first responders apply force continuum principles in dog encounters. The guide states that “the use of a weapon is seldom required in dog-related incidents or encounters.”

“Many fine and caring people from all walks of life have joined in our effort," said Glass. "We respectfully ask all for the support and assistance needed to realize our humble and salutary goals.”

Join the Glass family, Nancy and Hand4Paws in honoring Boomer's memory by taking action to prevent more dog shootings by St. Petersburg police officers.

Photo courtesy of Boomer's Voice Facebook page