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Clayton County, GA - Golden Retrievers possess a friendly, eager-to-please demeanor, and are the fourth most popular family dog breeds (by registration) in the United States. Boomer was a golden retriever that on Saturday morning was shot and killed by a Clayton County police officer. Police had received a complaint that there was someone selling meats from a truck on North Shore Drive. When the officer went to the street to investigate, Boomer ran towards her barking. She ordered the dog to stop, but when he didn't, she shot and killed him.
Boomer belonged to Lawrene King's teenage son, who was home at the time of the shooting. The King's yard has an electric fence, but no sign to let anyone know it was there. Boomer always barks when seeing someone and has never bitten anyone. The officer didn't take the time to find any of this out, nor did he bother to use any non-lethal methods of stopping the dog if he felt in danger. Police officers carry mace or pepper spray which is very effective in stopping dogs. What about a taser? What if there was a child with the dog?
"My neighbor saw the whole thing," King said. "He was shocked how quickly the officer pulled his gun."
Boomer died within 25 feet of his front porch.
King said she wasn't home when Boomer was shot, but three teenagers were in her house. King said she received a frantic call from her 19-year-old son Jonathan.
"Mom! He killed my dog," King said her son screamed.
The officer remains on duty.
This scares me. I have a Black Lab who goes ballistic when someone is at our door. While it can be aggravating when it is friends or family it is also comforting to know that she will give a stranger pause ... a lot of pause. Dogs, regardless of breed can be aggressive about anyone coming into their boundaries. Unless they recognize you as a member of their pack they can be adamant about letting folks know "that is close enough stranger." I would hope that most LEO's would resort to a baton, spray or even Taser before shooting.