By coincidence, we were just talking about that episode while taking our neighborhood walk tonight. Lots of dogs were barking everywhere and it dawned on me that the old practice of getting a dog as a cheap and reliable burglar alarm has come to backfire on modern society. It has come down to too many little incessantly yappy nuisances and too many neglected, abused, or vicious dogs like the one above.

So many people are the pits of the world. We're doomed.

I can't believe people still think it's okay to leave a dog outside night and day or worse yet chained to a stake in an unfenced yard. One corner I pass has two dogs who never seem to be allowed in the house. They are sweet dogs and don't bark that often, only when someone gets close to their territory. Across the alley from them are two dogs who yap furiously day and night. I once called the police at 3 a.m. because it sounded like one of them was yelping in away that seemed like some kind of emergency. By the time they arrived (of course) you could have heard a pin drop.

I know several responsible pit bull owners who have reared very gentle dogs, but I can't help feel wary around pits I don't know well. The ones who are tied up all the time, must feel so frustrated and angry.

I think the police were probably within their rights to shoot your neighbor's dog, but from the newspaper descriptions it also sounds like they were pretty typically unconcerned about anything other than law and order.

Maybe the other dog will be treated better, but I doubt it.

I think the police were probably within their rights to shoot your neighbor's dog,....

Not to defend the dog owner since this particular owner appears to treat his dogs as something less than a family pets; however, I have to believe that the dog was barking as the officers approached giving them ample opportunity to avoid the situation.

I don't advocate cops shooting dogs, or anyone else for that matter. This was a strong dog who lunged as much as possible, and could easily leave the impression he was going to pull the chain from it's anchor. From my knowledge of animals, it would have been unlikely he could have been retrained to be gentle and loving, or even neighborly.

There was a beware of dog sign, and now there is also a No Trespassing sign. The last day or two the new dog hasn't been there.

As for entering from the rear, that is the entrance used by the residents of the house. There's no parking space in front of the house, and a ditch on the side of the house so the front of the house is not easily accessible.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

The Pit Bull has gotten a really bad rap. I used to live next door to a woman who owned two PBs, who were brother and sister. They were well fed, well cared for, and knew they were loved. As a result, they were very happy and friendly with just about everyone. The female used to run out of the house when I was mowing our yard and playfully try to untie my shoelaces. As soon as I acknowledged her, she'd roll over for a belly rub.

Fortunately no K-ville cops were around, or they would have probably shot her before she got to me.

Has anyone read the police report by Officer Coffey? He states that he shot the dog from ten feet away, while it was attacking the other officer. Ten feet is a long shot on a moving target with friendly forces that close. I just don't see anyone taking a chance of hitting a friend. Also, there were no bite wounds, the hospital treated a scrape or abrasion. He fired two shots and both hit the moving target. If you look at other police shootings, they usually fire thirteen rounds each with about two or three hitting the target.

The first press release from the police stated the the other driver was injured. The accident was the other drivers fault, and no injuries were reported or treated as first stated by the police.

Someone claiming to be Officer Coffey's previous supervisor. Posted on the KNS, that he has an attitude problem, especially with authority.

I believe the dog is better off dead, considering his living conditions, but I don't the truth is being told.