Dog shot by officer responding to house fire likely to be euthanized
Animal charged as Regina Police Service member was trying to help injured man
REGINA A small, red frozen puddle stains the snowy walkway near Ashley Tobacco’s backyard.
That’s where she heard a dog barking aggressively early Monday morning. Minutes later, a Regina police officer shot twice at the animal, missing only once.
The dog, which police say charged at the officer, sustained injuries and required veterinary care. It’s expected that it will be euthanized, according to police.
Police were responding to a fire at Tobacco’s neighbour’s home, on the 700 block of Cameron Street.
Tobacco said the blaze appeared very serious.
She saw flames billowing from the front of the house, reaching trees hanging over the roof.
According to the Regina Police Service, officers were dispatched to the scene at about 6:17 a.m. Monday.
They learned that there were still people inside the residence.
Upon their arrival, they saw smoke coming from the house and then found a man bleeding at the rear of the property.
It turned out the man was injured when he jumped through a window in an attempt to escape the fire. Police helped him to his feet and told him to make his way to an alley.
“At this time, a large dog was circling the police vehicle, barking and acting aggressively,” said a police news release.
Police called animal control to deal with the dog and turned their attention to the burning home, as they believed others were inside.
Officers then learned that two adults and two children had exited the home. They then went back to find the injured man.
But the dog continued to make trouble, according to the police account of events.
After the injured man took refuge in a police car, the dog remained outside the vehicle. Police say the animal charged at an officer who attempted to enter the car and assist the man.
The officer drew his sidearm and fired twice. One round struck the dog, according to police.
The dog then fled the scene of the shooting.
Red flecks dot the path from Tobacco’s walkway to a yard on the other side of the now-charred house, which sustained substantial damage in the fire.
A man inside the neighbouring home said that’s where the dog ended up. Police said it was found injured a short time after being shot.
According to police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich, the dog was later sent for surgery.
Police later reported the dog will likely need to be euthanized. The shooting will be reviewed as a use-of-force incident. The dog lived at the home damaged by the fire. Steve Klein, who lives across the street, said he often heard it barking from the backyard.
He commended emergency services for their “textbook” response to the fire.
Firefighters arrived after police, but Klein said it seemed to take them less than a minute to get a handle on the flames.
“It was pretty tall. I bet you it was like 25 feet in the air,” he said of the blaze. “I was pretty impressed with, once they arrived, how quickly they put it out.”
Fire investigators were still at the scene as of Monday afternoon.
Fire marshal Randy Ryba said it’s too early to tell what might have caused the fire.
He said everyone managed to exit the home.
(The fire) was pretty tall. I bet you it was like 25 feet in the air. I was pretty impressed with ... how quickly they put it out.