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Your Province

Police dog should not get special treatment

The Province
Published: Friday, December 01, 2006

Given the poor training dogs often receive from humans these days, it is hard to speak ill of any canine -- especially one who supposedly performs valuable community service for a B.C. police detachment.

But let's hope that five-year-old Lucas, the off-duty RCMP dog who mauled an eight-year-old Abbotsford boy earlier this week, doesn't receive kid-glove treatment just because he worked for the police.

Not that we should pre-judge this case. After all, police investigators may find there were extenuating circumstances. A RCMP spokesman says the German shepherd may have escaped from its kennel because cold weather prevented the latch from closing properly.

However, the issue here is not kennel latches.

It is why any dog who gnaws on a young boy's arm should not be deprived immediately of any chance to cause further harm.
© The Vancouver Province 2006

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Your Province

Put dog down

Letter
Published: Friday, December 01, 2006

If any dog other than a police dog had attacked an eight-year-old child riding a sled down a snowy street, the dog would probably never again see the light of day. It certainly wouldn't have been returned to its owner without a likely court battle.

Police dogs are trained to respond to the verbal commands of their handlers.

The police spokesman's speculation that the dog's "training" suddenly "kicked in" does a huge disservice to police training and to other police dogs.

As this child had no drugs or bombs, this has nothing to do with training.

This is a disgrace.

This dog is unsound and needs to be put down immediately.

Kristy Bjarnason,

Vancouver
© The Vancouver Province 2006