rosie_newfoundland1.jpg
The owners of Rosie, a 4-year-old Newfoundland, are suing Des Moines police for shooting their beloved pet after it got loose. (Image courtesy Wright Family/Pasado's Safe Haven)

Des Moines couple sues police for shooting beloved dog

BY Josh Kerns  on November 28, 2012 @ 6:28 am (Updated: 12:33 pm - 11/28/12 )

A Des Moines couple is now suing police for shooting their beloved dog after it got out of their yard.

A neighbor called police when Rosie, a 4-year-old Newfoundland, was seen wandering loose while her owners Deirdre and Charles Wright were out of town in Nov. 2010. They were concerned the dog might get hurt.

Three Des Moines officers responded and encountered the 115-pound dog barking in the Wright's driveway. But she wouldn't let the police get close. She ran, and for the next hour, police chased her for blocks, twice trying to subdue her with a Taser. They ultimately cornered her in a neighbor's yard and shot her four times with an assault rifle.

Audio of the entire incident obtained by The Seattle Times was captured on a dashboard camera. Officers can be heard debating what to do when they capture the dog. One suggested using a Taser. Another suggested "choking her out."

But the audio reveals officers began talking about shooting Rosie within 10 minutes of their arrival. "I'll shoot him. Let's just go shoot him," an officer is heard in the recording.

The shooting sparked massive outrage in the community. Thousands have signed an online petition demanding the officers be punished. There have been a number of memorials and a vigil for Rosie and her family.

A lawyer for the city says the Des Moines Police Department conducted a thorough internal review of the shooting and determined the officers acted appropriately. Two other reviews reached similar conclusions.

But the Wrights are now suing the city, filing a federal lawsuit Nov. 17. Adam Karp, a Bellingham laywer for the couple, told Ross and Burbank officers were intent on shooting the dog from the outset and made no effort to contact them. He alleged police acted inhumanely when they killed her.

"It's my opinion they engaged in criminal misconduct and certainly violated the civil rights of my client," Karp said.

Witnesses said the dog was "just sitting there" in the Wright's driveway when one of the officers used the Taser, sending the dog running.

Neighbor Lora Perry told the Times Rosie had slipped into her fenced yard and was "just sniffing around" when police arrived.

"It was clear they were there to shoot her. She wasn't doing anything. She was just sitting there," she said.

"The only defenses that might exist that warrant the shooting or maiming of an animal is if there's an imminent threat of legitimate harm to a person or animal," Karp said. "And the evidence really is undisputed that at the time they discharged the rifle, she wasn't threatening, barking growling."

Ron Weber, a former police officer and criminal science expert, questioned the officers' actions in an interview with KIRO Radio.

"What really got me was the fact the dog was contained, wasn't really posing a threat. And it sounded like the homeowner was okay with the dog being in their backyard for the time being, which would actually give you time to formulate a plan and figure out what to do."

Karp said police and the city have made no effort to settle the case and there's been no apology from police.

"I do know that the police guild got into a bit of a snit with the mayor who showed support for the Wrights at a vigil that occurred shortly after her killing. So apparently there's a split really between the departments and the agency heads over how to deal with this properly," he said.

In addition to seeking damages for his clients, Karp said he hopes the federal suit will also lead to changes in training for police on how to deal with dogs.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (38)


  • Add A Comment

  • Newton wrote...
    I've noticed that there is somthing wrong going on.
    November 28, 2012 6:32 am
    In a mass scale GMO foods Chemicaly made food Fluorided water. Nobody is thinking straight anymore. Chemtrails in the air. Zombie Nation. Sad a beloved dog is caught up in this mess very sad. I hope they sue and win.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • lazarusrose wrote...
    Assault Rifle use on a dog???
    November 28, 2012 7:40 am
    ..... why wasn't animal control called? Why couldn't they tranquilize the dog or use a catch pole? Seriously an assault rifle? If this isn't clear cut evidence that most cops are just sadistic criminals with badges looking for every excuse to exude their power over others... was the dog hurting anyone? Bite anyone? It got shot with an assault rifle for barking?? I just. Don't. Even. Whatever...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • lazarusrose wrote...
    Similar treatment
    November 28, 2012 7:45 am
    By a civilian against subduing their dog would be met with animal cruelty charges. Can we please file these against them?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SnakeBite wrote...
    Dog Killers
    November 28, 2012 7:48 am
    Aren't the Dez Moines police wonderful? Big tough guys. They should have just let the dog go and he would have ulitmately came back home. Any fourth grader knows that.What now? We have to protect our harmless animals from the police, too. I hope they don't shoot goldfish. They're pretty dangerous.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BikeNazi wrote...
    Why does everyone in the Seattle area have a cop-shaped mouth?
    November 28, 2012 8:42 am
    This police fellating needs to stop. These cops on the street are handing out their own punishment and justice when they are NOT EMPOWERED TO DO SO.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • circuitfr wrote...
    cry a river
    November 28, 2012 8:52 am
    Tell your neighbor not to call the cops if they see a dog. The cops didn't have to respond if no one called. How about this. KEEP YOUR DOG IN YOUR YARD. If there is a 100 pound plus dog running around and they can't catch it and it's deemed threatening, guess what, shoot it. We are so sue happy in this world and the cops can't do anything right. Guess what would you all would be saying if the cops said, heck with it, not our problem, and then that dog went on to kill a little kid or attack a kid? YOU ALL WOULD BE SCREAMING TO THE HILLS that the cops are worthless and should of done something to the dog that got loose. You would be screaming that the homeowners are not responsible and should be charged. And yes, the police department would be getting sued for negligence....maybe if everyone started taking a little personal responsibility instead of calling the cops for every little thing in life, these things don't happen. 911 was not invented to call because a DOG is running down the block...stupid stupid retards.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • NWGUY wrote...
    the dog
    November 28, 2012 1:46 pm
    was contained in a back yard, so your what if is pointless, we have to focus on what actually happened, and the cops were way out of line.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sgt Pnasty wrote...
    someone else's
    November 28, 2012 2:04 pm
    Backyard. So the what it's may now resume....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ezzr wrote...
    Threatening?
    November 29, 2012 7:00 am
    She wasn't threatening. Did you listen to the police audio? The police were bored with chasing a dog (funnily enough, when I called police for two dogs wandering the middle of a busy street, for their safety and others, they told me to Wait and call animal control in the morning! The police would do nothing about it.) and completely cavalier about (and very Happy) to shoot her. I can't understand how the officers involved are not being punished.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JRZGRL1 wrote...
    You are definitely using up to much oxygen
    December 5, 2012 1:40 am
    The most important question here is: how long have you been working for the police department? Or how long did you work for the Department? Because only someone who has a vested interest in thinking it's OK for police officers to murder a dog with an assault rifle would say something as clueless as you have. How DARE you come here & mock the Wrights? Their dog was slaughtered by sociopaths. Have you watched the dashcam videos? Do you know ANYTHING about this issue? It's not just loose dogs (and for the record Rosie was in her own yard). It's dogs in backyards. It's dogs sitting on porches. It's chihuahuas, dachshunds, beagles, Basset hounds, Labs, Golden Retrievers. It's anything that barks & moves. You know NOTHING so do us all a favor & minimize your use of oxygen.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sgt Pnasty wrote...
    devils advocate
    November 28, 2012 9:06 am
    I know it's hard to think about the other side of the coin here in the great NW, especially when we are soooo in love with dogs, but please give it a chance. What if the cops had just left and left the dog in someone else's yard.... And that dog bit someone.... I bet the department would be sued for not accurately completing the original call to respond. Cops don't carry tranquilizers.... If the neighbors were so concerned a out the dog, then why didn't neighbors do something? Why call 911? I'm betting its because it's dangerous to deal with a large dog wandering through the neighborhood. I think the family should be asking why their neighbors or friends didn't pull the beloved pet and friendly dog into someone's house.... Just saying. It is really easy to blame something else, especially cops... But I suggest that if anyone really cared about the animal in that neighborhood, someone would have done anything other than call in 911.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Shplunker wrote...
    we would be better off
    November 28, 2012 9:12 am
    if they just shot the lawyers.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Sgt Nasty -
    November 28, 2012 9:56 am
    If you had read the Times story (link) or remembered 2 years ago, the reason neighbors called 911 was because they were concerned the dog might get hit in traffic, or something. ... NOT because they thought she was dangerous ! ....And most people think that 911 is to HELP.

    None the less, too often it has the opposite result. That poor dog aside. How many times do you year about family calling 911 because a son or husband or dad is suicidal, only to have the end result the police shooting him? ........

    I'll call 911 for fire or a medical emergency. But otherwise, think twice. It shouldn't be that way.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • circuitfr wrote...
    what?
    November 28, 2012 10:03 am
    You won't call 911 for an emergency because the cops kill suicidal people?? Odd way of thinking. If the cops get called because someone is threatening to kill themselves and then the cops get there and threatens to kill the cops, WHAT THE FLYING F DO YOU WANT THE COPS TO DO? You act as if the cops show up and execute these people....Suicide calls come in by the 10's if not 100's of thousands every year in this country. 99.9999% of them the cops can diffuse these types of situation. moron.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ezzr wrote...
    Other than 911?
    November 29, 2012 7:02 am
    Do you know the number for animal control right off the top of your head? Anyway, animal control was Closed. Rosie was not biting/threatening anyone. The cops just gave up trying to catch her and killed her. Pathetic.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Vaticus wrote...
    "I'm just gonna shoot him," because if I don't...
    November 28, 2012 11:26 am
    I'm trying to finish this statement, to understand what led the police officers to believe that they had to kill the dog. Did they think the dog may be a harm to others? Did they ask neighbors if the dog had a history of such behavior? From what I've read, the opposite is true, kids were trying to corral the animal, neighbors called 911 on behalf of the animal's safety, the owner of the house the dog was killed on stated they were fine with the dog remaining in their yard. There is no rational answer, hopefully it is not police policy to shoot loose dogs if they can;t be retrived in 15 minutes. The only answer I can reach was made apparent when one of the police officers yells out "nice!" after they began shooting, showing a severe lack of: 1. Proper training: "Well, we tried to capture it for 15 minutes, I guess we should move onto plan B: kill it?" 2. Execution: It took 4 shots to kill a sitting dog in daylight with an assault rifle at close range. 3. Judgement: The officer was apparently unable to notice that the initial shot to the leg was not a mortal wound; he is too busy thinking about how cool it is to unnecessarily shoot assault rifles in neighborhoods is, "nice!"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • What? wrote...
    How is....
    November 28, 2012 11:40 am
    tasing a dog going to help the situation. I hope these guys don't have access to K9 units. I can just imagine how screwed up their k9 dogs would be. Wow. How dumb can a person get?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lake Tapps Chris wrote...
    Ah yes. Cops, Gotta luv 'em
    November 28, 2012 11:54 am
    Yep you couldn't let the dog hang out in the yard where it was safe.. "Let's take him out" Good call... Or maybe it was,, "Hey, we havent' used the assault rifle in awhile." Can we publish the Cops names? After all, he didn't do anything wrong. Right? This has NOTHING to do with improper training, it has everything to do with being a decent human being. You here, that back up what these dirty cops have done, are so far off base and now off topic because you can't justify the killing of this animal so you now have resorted to calling each other names. These "Dirty Cops", (I kinda like that term here), remind me of the Jail gurad in the Movie, The Green Mile where the little guard just HAD to kill that mouse... Think about it. Well hey DesMoines, Congrats, you are now a "Newfoundland Free Zone"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 511Fan wrote...
    Rosie the Dog
    November 28, 2012 11:55 am
    As a current police officer and former K9 handler I am appalled at what occurred in this incident. I have been keeping up with this case and have been hoping and praying that the owners of this dog take this case all the way. Not only because of this event but to force departments to provide training on the animal calls particularly dog calls. BUT these DM officers need to be held accountable on a different matter. Something is psychologically wrong with these individuals who took pleasure in killing. Most of us get upset having to take a life of any animal let alone a family pet. I lost respect for DM police dept on the way this was handled in all aspects. The dash cams are very telling but folks need to read all the reports and make thier own decision on the matter. I am sure my outspokeness on this incident will upset my fellow officers out there but there is a time when you have to speak out..such a senseless act done to this dog and family. I wonder if these officers would have done this type of kill shot if they had responded to a home of an officer who had a family pet. I THINK NOT.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AIG wrote...
    511Fan
    November 28, 2012 3:15 pm
    Thanks for speaking up.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }