Mum’s heartbreak after police Taser her dog to death
A MOTHER has criticised police for killing her dog with a Taser after it barked at officers.
Terrasa Bolton, 29, said her American bulldog Narla ran into the garden when eight officers arrived to arrest her boyfriend.
She said a male officer fired his Taser at the dog and continued to do so even when the animal appeared lifeless on the ground.
Officers even took the dog’s body away and she has launched an online petition to get it back.
Recalling the incident last Saturday, the mother of two from Leeds said: ‘I told a woman police officer Narla wasn’t aggressive. But Narla started barking and the next thing I heard was a yelp. She’d been Tasered and was lying on the floor.’
Miss Bolton, a care worker, criticised police for continuing after the dog was stopped. She told The Sun: ‘She was unconscious and wasn’t moving. But he was still stood there pressing the button on the Taser. You could see the volts going into Narla.
‘I shouted, “Stop it, please, she’s already dead”. He still didn’t stop. He held the button down for three minutes. I was distraught.
‘There was blood coming from Narla’s mouth.’
Another officer then offered to make her a cup of tea and said apologetically: ‘We can’t bring the dog back.’ Miss Bolton said: ‘She was a really friendly dog, so loving. My son Bailey adored her. He’s devastated.’
Miss Bolton, who has made an official complaint, added: ‘My dog did nothing wrong. All she did was bark. She didn’t attack anybody.’
On the petition, Miss Bolton said police had refused to return Narla’s body ‘on the excuse that she could potentially be a dangerous dog breed which she isn’t’.
West Yorkshire Police said officers went to the address to arrest a man who was wanted for domestic violence.
A spokesman said: ‘When officers called at the house, a large dog came out of the property and was aggressive towards the officers who feared for their safety and the safety of the public.
‘An officer deployed Taser to subdue the dog which unfortunately resulted in the death of the animal. The dog has been recovered for specialist assessment to establish its breed and a crime has been recorded for having a dog dangerously out of control.
‘The use of Taser was reviewed and deemed to be legitimate and proportionate in the circumstances.
‘A complaint has been received in relation to the incident and this has been referred to West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate.’