Family seeks answers after dog shot by OPP
A Norwood-area family is searching for answers after one of their dogs was shot and killed by police Saturday.
“You just have so many unanswered questions,” Erica Wright said Tuesday, calling Brudius, her brother’s 3 1/2-year-old rottweiller-mastiff cross, a “gentle giant” who had never before shown any signs of aggression. “He would never hurt a fly.”
Peterborough County OPP were called to 8th Line Rd. in Douro-Dummer Township north of Norwood after getting several reports of two dogs acting aggressively – such as not allowing residents out of their vehicles, media relations officer Const.Ja son Folz said.
An OPP officer was speaking to one of the complain ants when the two dogs approached them in an aggressive manner, he explained.
Pepper spray was effectively used to keep one at bay, but it didn’t work on the other. The dog circled behind the officer, forcing them to shoot and prompting the other dog to flee, Folz said.
Public safety and officer safety were paramount in the decision, he said, calling it a situation he can recall happening twice in his two decades at the detachment.
“It’s unfortunate. We’re certainly not happy with having to shoot a dog, but it rarely comes to that,” he said. “From what I understand, in this instance, it was unavoidable.”
Wright and her brother left B ru diu sand Ca li, a can eco r so blue tick walker mix, chained to their kennels while they went ice fishing Saturday morning. They returned later that day to find Cali running free, but Brudius missing.
After getting a message, Wright contacted the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) before learning a complaint had been lodged about the dogs running loose, but nothing about Brudius’ whereabouts.
When OPP and OSPCA officers came to their home Sunday, they were informed that a neighbour had nearly been attacked, but barely made it back into her home, and that the dog was eventually shot as police investigated complaints of loose dogs.
Her brother Tyler was overwhelmed. He told CH EX- TV News, which first reported the story on Monday, that the dog’s behaviour was completely out of character. “Never one did I see him aggressive towards anybody.”
See DOGSHOT | A2
DOG SHOT from A1
Erica said she wants to know exactly what the dog, who has never shown signs of aggression around her 17-month old daughter, did to warrant being shot and why other use-of-force options, such as rubber bullets or a Taser, weren’t used. “There are so many alternatives that could have been taken ... something needs to change.”
The OSPCA itself even deemed Brudius not to be a threat following an assessment conducted after a previous complaint, Erica said.
In their search for details, she said they plan to file Freedom of Information requests and have contacted a lawyer for legal advice.
The family has also started a page at www.gofundme.com to raise money for Brudius to be cremated. As of Tuesday afternoon, six people had contributed $440 towards a $500 goal.
Visit www.gofundme.com/ brudus-cremation for more information. jabain@postmedia.com