CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati couple is seeking answers and accountability after Cincinnati Police Officers shot their dog during a response to an alleged burglary call to their home.
Alicia Wheeler-Stevens called 911 on Feb. 10 when she thought someone was breaking into her home on West North Bend Road, according to our news partner WCPO.
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When officers arrived on the scene, one of her dogs had escaped from the house, prompting police to open fire.
Wheeler-Stevens said that she was in her living room at the other end of the house when she thought she heard the door open.
“The next thing I know, I heard a gunshot. They shot him in his head,” She said.
Wheeler-Stevens said she watched her dog, Max, bleed on the ground.
“That’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life,” she said.
Her husband, William Stevens, said he came home to find police cars blocking the street and officers with guns drawn.
He said he walked to the side of the house and grabbed his dog after officers told him not to go inside.
“So I get him, put him on the leash. He’s bleeding profusely. I mean, he’s bleeding so bad my car is full of blood,” said Stevens.
Stevens said he rushed Max to an emergency veterinarian, where doctors found metal fragments in the dog’s head.
Max has returned home to recover, but the couple said the vet bills have reached about $3,000 and that the dog may need additional surgery.
The couple said that officers left the scene without apologizing or providing a written report of the incident, and have had no contact with Cincinnati Police since the shooting.
Stevens questioned why five officers couldn’t subdue one dog without deadly force.
“You shoot him instead of (Tasing) him? I don’t understand that.” He said. “And then we don’t get an apology or anything. I believe they need to pay for all my vet bills, which is totally about $3,000 as of this moment.”
Ken Kober, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Queen City Lodge 69, said that these situations are tragic but are sometimes unavoidable.
Kober said that these officers walk into dangerous situations and have the right to defend themselves against someone who may be armed or even dogs that may be aggressive toward them.
“If they believe that they’re going to be bit, they have the right to defend themselves,” He said.
Kober, who spent eight years as a canine handler, said that officers’ comfort levels vary with dogs, and some situations can develop quickly for alternate responses.
“It depends on whether the officers are even aware that an animal’s involved,” he said. “You could have no idea that there’s an animal involved until you’re on the porch knocking on a door and somebody’s let a dog go.”
Kober advises that people calling 911 should inform dispatchers if they have pets, especially dogs that might be aggressive.
“If you can contain that dog, whether you put it in your bathroom, put it in a cage, do something like that, it could prevent tragedies like this from happening,” Kober said.
The Stevens family is warning other pet owners to secure their animals before calling 911.
“Be cautious when you call 911, make sure you put your dogs in a room so they don’t get shot,” Stevens said. “They’re like your kids.”
Wheeler-Stevens said the trauma has affected both her and her pet.
“I believe my dog’s gonna be traumatized the rest of his life,” she said.
The couple wants Cincinnati Police to pay their veterinary bills and hold the officer who shot their dog accountable.
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