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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)


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  • montanarose wrote...
    So many dumb decsions...
    November 28, 2012 12:45 pm
    1) Somebody should have been watching the dog, if the family was going to gone that long. 2) The neighbor should have just got the dog, and kept it till the family came home. That is what I would have done, unless the dog was mean. In that case how about calling animal control?? 3) 4 shots with an assault rifle!! I think they need some target practice. Cruel and horrible overkill. Dumb, dumb, you don't taser a dog, that is not a threat. If they were to busy to deal with it, the right way, call somebody that can. I just moved to Des Moines, and plan to get a dog. Now I know to be triple sure, the poor thing can't get out of the yard.
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  • Cash wrote...
    I am fully on the side of the dog here...
    November 28, 2012 1:07 pm
    I hope the DM cops get what is coming to them for this one. There was zero reason to shoot and kill the dog. If they are too stupid to figure out how to deal with it they shoud pay up. I am extremely offended and embarrassed by their actions; both for the actual killing and the response by the officer who was impressed with the kill... What a bunch of jerks. There was zero reason to kill the dog and I can't figure out how 3 investigations have cleared these knuckleheads; I just don't get it.
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  • ratrustle wrote...
    Whatever happened to common sense?
    November 28, 2012 1:12 pm
    I can't believe that these officers made it to ANY police force with the lack of common sense and self control they showed here! I can't believe that they weren't disciplined at all! I can't believe that the City hasn't reached out to this family and tried to make this situation "right"! I can't believe that the family has had to endure this for two years without any resolution. If Des Moines really such little control over their officers then we truly are living in a third world country where the cops get to be both judge and jury -- truly absurd behavior. FIRE THEM NOW!
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  • uralnutjobs wrote...
    what idiot calls 911 on a loose dog?
    November 28, 2012 1:26 pm
    you call animal control not the emergency number. they are the experts in this situation.
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  • Cash wrote...
    Not me AJ
    November 28, 2012 1:53 pm
    I call them like I see them and don't support bad decisions by default. There was clearly no reason to kill the dog and if that is what these guys came up with as the best idea they are too stupid to be allowed to be cops...
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  • Realitycheck wrote...
    Fully agree Cash
    November 28, 2012 8:14 pm
    I don't want any cop that thinks he needs to shoot and kill a soul of an animal like a newfy in charge of protecting me and my family from the bad guys, because he is mentally no fit to carry a weapon. Newfoundland dogs (we have two) are one of the kindest and good-hearted dogs out there, especially considering their size they are just very friendly and easy with even small kids. They used tasers on the dog which scarred her and made her more aggressive then she ever would've been. But most important the yard they shot the dog in was fully fenced. All they had to do was close the fence gate and get animal control or try to locate the owner. Our hearts broke when we originally heard this story and I check our fence on a regular basis plus all gates are locked with pad locks so nobody can accidentally open up a gate and let one of our beloved dogs get out there when we have lunatic cops like that out there.
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  • Linda Rogers wrote...
    Not agressive
    November 29, 2012 3:08 pm
    I disagree with "realitycheck" in that the tazing made her more agressive. After she was tazed she ran away. She did not become anything resembling agressive.
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  • CH wrote...
    wait a fing minute xkop - Is your senseless, rambling, third grade spelling and grammar posts . . . .
    November 28, 2012 3:45 pm
    Now we know that kops don't have brains. Animal Control maybe?
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  • Cash wrote...
    No worries AJ
    November 28, 2012 3:56 pm
    Things will hopefully turn around soon; at least I hope so! Thanks for compliment also:)
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  • Jeddite wrote...
    . . .
    November 28, 2012 8:22 pm
    My mutt, a retriever-newfoundland mix, is laying on the floor in the same position as Rosie, and giving me the same look. Time for a snack!
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  • Jeff Schroeder wrote...
    Good thing it wasn't my best buddy...
    November 28, 2012 9:19 pm
    ...there would be a limp dick loser cop in Des Moines lookin out his window EVERY NIGHT :)
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  • CH wrote...
    This is like fishing at a trout farm? . . . .
    November 29, 2012 5:20 am
    is that what you had for dinner last night brown trout?
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