Dog Community

Tied up dog SHOT 7 times by DEPUTY

Posted : 5/31/2007 1:51:24 AM

Family dog SHOT 7 TIMES and left to die by Sheriff#%92s Deputy in Charles Co. MD
Deputy Christopher Long of the Charles Co. Sheriff#%92s Office went to the Mattia Family#%92s home looking for Sharon Mattia#%92s “Step Son” who had NEVER resided in that home at that address !!! To serve him a “Child Support Warrant” (a bench warrant I am told)
Deputy Long knocked on the front door then proceeded to the side door, still no answer he proceeded to the back door, He knew Max was there (as the Mattia family had called the SO some years back to investigate a car that had been dumped in they#%92re pond at the back of the property, He had met Max then.) Deputy Long acknowledged Max while he was approaching the TETHERED Dog, He Proceeded into the Dogs Range of Movement, Max nipped at his leg and pinched the deputy#%92s leg NOT EVEN BREAKING THE SKIN Deputy long pulled his weapon and fired 7 Shots into Max BUT these 7 shots were so poorly placed they did not kill him right away, Max tried to get away but Deputy Long pursued his vicious attack on Max and continued to fire !!!!
Deputy Long left Max to die, (YES he was still breathing) so that he could go call for an ambulance to attend to his bruise from the pinch Max had given him AFTER he Proceeded into the Dogs Range of Movement, REMEMBER MAX WAS TIED UP !!!
Deputy Long has survived his injuries however MAX died on the way to the Vet, When Sharon Mattia#%92s son came home and found him in a pool of blood struggling to breath but still able to cry in pain.
This Family has suffered a horrific LOSS, in the name of “BADGE ABUSE”
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he approached a tethered dog UNNECESARILLY !! (He had already knocked on 2 doors it should have been apparent no one was home)
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he fired a 357 calibur weapon in a residential area recklessly and with wontan disregard.
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he chose to serve a warrant ALONE
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he chose to engage a dog that was TIED UP !!
Deputy Long used very poor judgment by NOT Confirming the Address of the individual on the warrant !!!!
Oh and by the way…. THIS IS REPORTEDLY THE 3RD DOG THIS DEPUTY HAS SHOT AND KILLED WITH A GUN !!!!!
Please show your support in the cry against “BADGE ABUSE” and call the Charles Co. Sheriff#%92s Office @ 301-932-2222
I keep thinking WOW what if the Police ever stray into my backyard, where my dogs are kept “SAFE” ??????????

papillon64

Posted : 5/31/2007 11:46:38 AM

Can you please post the internet address for the the newspaper article regarding this case?

Liesje

Posted : 5/31/2007 12:17:08 PM

Found this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR2007052000406.html

rwbeagles

Posted : 5/31/2007 12:33:58 PM

seems a puncture on the thigh would be hard to fake...if it exists then there's one inconsistency already, pinch is not a puncture. Interesting.

Liesje

Posted : 5/31/2007 1:08:33 PM

Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he approached a tethered dog UNNECESARILLY !! (He had already knocked on 2 doors it should have been apparent no one was home)
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he fired a 357 calibur weapon in a residential area recklessly and with wontan disregard.
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he chose to serve a warrant ALONE
Deputy Long used poor judgment in that he chose to engage a dog that was TIED UP !!
Deputy Long used very poor judgment by NOT Confirming the Address of the individual on the warrant !!!!
Oh and by the way…. THIS IS REPORTEDLY THE 3RD DOG THIS DEPUTY HAS SHOT AND KILLED WITH A GUN !!!!!

Well, I'm not exactly defending him or saying it's OK to shoot dogs, but based on what I've now been reading it seems that...

Long argues the dog was NOT tethered
The charge and bite took place in a matter of seconds, thus him reacting by shooting the dog
Serving a warrant alone doesn't negate a dog attack
Again, he claims the dog was loose
The address was the one provided by the courts so if the person had moved, they should have notified the courts and properly changed their address. I don't expect the police to research me everytime I move; I contact the post office and change my address.
I can't find anything reporting that this is the third dog he killed. I did find postings on a GSD board where people dug up a case where a Long had been involved in the killing of a suspect and his dog, but there were other officers involved and no proof that it's the same Long.

spiritdogs

Posted : 6/1/2007 8:52:10 PM

You won't like what I'm going to say, maybe, but the family is at fault for leaving their dog TETHERED or ALONE OUTDOORS. Statistics say that tethered dogs are more likely to bite. Had the dog been supervised, they might have been able to stop him from appearing threatening to the officer (they usually have a right to fire if they feel threatened, as do members of the public in many jurisdictions, even if the dog is behind a fence).
I say it all the time, and people pooh pooh me, but don't leave your dogs outside unattended. This can and does happen.

ottoluv

Posted : 6/1/2007 9:48:32 PM

I agree with anne, there comes a time when people have to take responsibility in their part in an event. There is that new law here in california that prevents you from tying out your dog more then 3 hours total in a 24 h period.

snownose

Posted : 6/1/2007 9:49:29 PM

As much as I hate to say it, spiritdogs is right, leaving a dog tied to whatever the containment method was can be fatal if a law officer enters the yard......in most cases the people enforcing the law are right....like it or not.......I hate the fact that this dog had to suffer based on the owners decision.........

glenmar

Posted : 6/2/2007 6:34:24 AM

There are those of us who do not pooh pooh you Anne. My dogs are never left alone outside unattended and they have a fence. It's not safe and it's not smart.

However, the cop was a jackal.

J M

Posted : 6/2/2007 12:01:19 PM

I have a fenced in yard with a padlocked gate. I still don't leave mine out alone. I don't allow mine around cops either. One was watching me do some work with Zeus in the park one day. As soon as I noticed him, I loaded Zeus up.

Bullymom

Posted : 6/2/2007 1:39:23 PM

I don't leave my dogs alone in our fenced yard. I know they cannot get out but it's common sense to put them inside when I leave. I feel bad that the family lost their pet and the cop shouldn't have went crazy with his gun. Both parties were in the wrong. If the cop knew the dog was there, why did he go alone? Animal control could have assisted him. I'm not saying that it's okay for someone to shoot animals but if the cop was in fear for his life, we couldn't he have shot the dog a killed it with one bullet instead of seven, then leave the dog to suffer? That is cruelty no matter what kind of authority you have and the cop should have to get some form of punishment for what he did.

J M

Posted : 6/3/2007 8:42:10 AM

If the dog was untied and as vicious as the cop wants everyone to believe...the dog would have nabbed him at the first door, or the second door.... not door number three.

Evidently the cop knew he was in the wrong if he felt the need to lie about it.

So, he appealed to the publics perception of "cops lives are more precious than anyone else's"...

He was terrified of a dog that was tied, or pissed because the dog dared to challenge him.

Either way, it says a lot about the man's character.

Most likely the tied dog barked at door number one and two and the cop had his gun drawn and had decided to shoot (if challenged) even before door number three. And he went to door number three for that very reason. To see if the dog would challenge him. He was already aware that no one was home at door number two.

Liesje

Posted : 6/3/2007 9:29:57 AM

"We have to put this in perspective that this whole incident took just a few seconds to take place."

Personally, I think that's the most telling statement of the article. The dog bit the deputy hard enough to puncture. Now us dog people know how to react around a dog like that even after being bit, but JQP does not. I'm not defending what he did, I think everyone was wrong in this case (the people for leaving their dog outside and the cop for immediately reacting out of fear), but when I recently had a dog that size lunging at me and biting me, I can't say that I reacted with my head either.

.stacer.

Posted : 6/3/2007 12:22:15 PM

It seems this is a case of cop said/citizen said.....the bottom line is that the dog owners were irresponsible. I dont care what breed of dog you have, it should never be tied outside alone while you are not there. You have to think about the consequences, and if you are not there to see an event take place, then who is the general public going to believe. you or a high and mighty police officer, a person who has supposedly deciated his life to helping people?

ron2

Posted : 6/3/2007 6:49:49 PM

He was serving a bench warrant for child support. He should have called animal services to evaluate the situation. We're not talking about a crack house where immediate entry is off the essence. He had time to wait it out, especially as it seemed no one was home. And what if the suspect was home and fled? What's the cop going to do? Shoot and kill him for fleeing a child support warrant? I understand the need for self-protection. If I was a cop and was being charged by a loose dog that wanted to bite me, I would shoot, too. And yes, cops do have certain rights to enter a property if they think a crime has been comitted or a certain warrant has been issued. Crack house? Okay. Hostage situation? Okay. Assault? Okay. Notice to appear for non-payment of child support? I'm all for catching up with deadbeat dads. But maybe we can ramp down the carnage.