Killing a police dog = killing a cop

[snopes]

Comment: I have heard that if someone kills a police dog they can be
charged with killing an police office because dogs on a K9 unit
technically hold the rank of officer. I found one link to a guy being
sentenced to life in jail for it but that seems to be more due to the
three strikes law than the other issue. I'm assuming this is an urban
legend but I've heard this from a couple of people so I think it is a
pretty widespread.

[Troberg]

If they were considered equal to police officers, I wouldn't like to be the vet that has to eutanize sick police dog.

Sure, I can believe that they have better legal protection than any other random dog, but I very much doubt that they have the same status as a human police.

[KirkMcD]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: I have heard that if someone kills a police dog they can be
charged with killing an police office because dogs on a K9 unit
technically hold the rank of officer. I found one link to a guy being
sentenced to life in jail for it but that seems to be more due to the
three strikes law than the other issue. I'm assuming this is an urban
legend but I've heard this from a couple of people so I think it is a
pretty widespread.

Under Texas law, they would be charged with Killing a Police Service Animal, which is a Felony in the Third Degree. Texas Penal Code - Section 38.151. Interference With Police Service Animals

Similar crime in Florida, Florida Crimes Code Section 843.19 - Obstructing Justice - Offenses against police dogs, fire dogs, SAR dogs, or police horses.

A Class A misdemeanor in NY, New York Penal Law Section 195.06 - Killing Or Injuring A Police Animal

That's all I could easily find.

None of them say a police service animal is considered an officer though.

[rangerdog]

Do dogs even like doughnuts?

[Darth Credence]

I have heard that killing a police horse is equivalent to killing a police officer. Details are here.
Lesson: make sure the horse you share munchies with is not diabetic.

[Bryan With a 'Y']

Originally Posted by rangerdog

Do dogs even like doughnuts?

Yes. Yes, they do.

Especially if they have a lot of chocolate on them.

Or else he just likes having me chase him with a bottle of ipecac.

[LizzyBean]

I don't know if I would consider dogs = to humans, but the dogs sure work damn hard. I'm sure their partners feel they rank right up there with their fellow officers.

I wonder how this works with dogs in the military? My ex was a cop in the military and had a bomb sniffing dog.

I know that branches do have memorials dedicated to dogs who have served. I also know that anyone who works with a service dog and they are killed, goes through a major greaving period as if they would with a human.

At least that's been my experience.

[Liza]

A Yahoo search shows quiet a few stories about people charged with killing police dogs.

In Florida it's a felony to kill a police animal, and the suspect in a California story is being charged with grabbing a police dog and jumping off of a bridge with him.

So, not the same as killing a human officer, but in most places that dogs have been killed, it looks like it is a felony.

[KirkMcD]

Originally Posted by Darth Credence

I have heard that killing a police horse is equivalent to killing a police officer.

A police horse is considered a police service animal. It's in the same league as a dog. So no it's not equivalent either.

[Wintermute]

Originally Posted by Liza

So, not the same as killing a human officer, but in most places that dogs have been killed, it looks like it is a felony.

It is not the same at all which I disagree with but that is how the law stands. Every year we go through simulator training, and one of the scenarios is a police dog being hit with a baseball bat. I forget the statistics, but most officers shoot the man with the baseball bat because of him hitting the police dog. Technically this is not a good shoot since it does not fall into a valid use of deadly force. My personal opinion it should be a valid use of force since that dogs represents the police officer, and also it is very much part of the department.

[Darth Credence]

Originally Posted by KirkMcD

A police horse is considered a police service animal. It's in the same league as a dog. So no it's not equivalent either.

Sorry, I was referencing Half Baked. That is how one of the guys was thrown in jail - he was stoned, went on a munchies run, and fed half of it to a diabetic police horse that subsequently died. He was arrested and jailed for killing a police officer.
For me:

[Logoboros]

There's an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street in which a police dog is found dead, and the homicide detectives are deemed responsible for investigating its death because it is a "police officer" which they initially resist because they think it's a waste of their valuable people-murder detecting skills.

--Logoboros

[Lgreywolf]

Originally Posted by Bryan With a 'Y'

Yes. Yes, they do.

Especially if they have a lot of chocolate on them.

Or else he just likes having me chase him with a bottle of ipecac.

{off topic}
My dog once ate half a chocolate sheet cake off the kitchen counter (only time she ever stole food off the counter) and after I frantically called the vet, I was told that for a dog her size (roughly 70-80 lbs. at the time) she would have to eat a giant size bar of dark chocolate to cause any harm to her. so a couple of chocolate covered donuts shouldn't be too detrimental to a medium sized dog.



Lgrey"then there was my grandmother's toy poodle who lived on hot dogs and Hershey's kisses"wolf

[Xia]

Originally Posted by rangerdog

Do dogs even like doughnuts?

I used to stop at a Dunkin Donuts sometimes when walking my Golden Retriever, and after the guy behind the counter noticed her peering in the door (a family member would hold her while I went in), he started asking me if she was along and then giving me a bag full of slightly-stale donuts "for the doggie" every time I stopped in.
I eventually gave in and would let her have a few pieces (even though she was on a grain-free diet) and once I started doing that she would get excited every time we went near the store. It seems it isn't just the one store either because recently I had my new/current dog (German Shepherd) waiting outside at a different Dunkin Donuts and my family member had her put her paws up so she could look in the window and see me... The employee saw her and gave me an extra donut for her. Doesn't really go together with her raw diet but ah well...

[moonfall]

Originally Posted by Xia

I used to stop at a Dunkin Donuts sometimes when walking my Golden Retriever, and after the guy behind the counter noticed her peering in the door (a family member would hold her while I went in), he started asking me if she was along and then giving me a bag full of slightly-stale donuts "for the doggie" every time I stopped in.
I eventually gave in and would let her have a few pieces (even though she was on a grain-free diet) and once I started doing that she would get excited every time we went near the store. It seems it isn't just the one store either because recently I had my new/current dog (German Shepherd) waiting outside at a different Dunkin Donuts and my family member had her put her paws up so she could look in the window and see me... The employee saw her and gave me an extra donut for her. Doesn't really go together with her raw diet but ah well...

I misread that twice as "peeing in the door," and I wondered why the Dunkin Donuts employees weren't upset.