This is where it'd be a really good idea to tell the officer at your house that's about to go in your backyard that you have a dog that's protective of it's home. Most alarm companies will notify the PD of this too, if they have the information. Cop was doing his job, the dog was doing his job, someone had the power to stop that confrontation and failed miserably.
I feel that a dog is the equivalent of setting a booby trap(which are illegal pretty much everywhere). Dogs are known for attacking children that wander onto someone's property to retrieve a ball. Dogs in general are loose cannons, and even the most highly trained ones can be unpredictable under stress......especially when they are not leashed by the owner. I have seen my share of mauled children over the years, and the owner has always insisted that their dog was sweet and loving.
There's no win in that clip. Bottom line: the officer had to shoot a judge's family dog. Anyone watch long enough to catch the line "yes ma'am, I know your husband..."? Even with the best cop and the most magnanimous judge, that's going to cause some tension.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
“It worked pretty good if you could shoot.” -Pat Rogers
"Expect to get shot at. Don't let it freak you out."-VCSO deputy