Seeking to clear up misinformation posted to social media regarding an active investigation, New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski on Friday said an officer last weekend shot and killed a dog as it violently attacked a neighbor’s canine, threatening the victim animal’s life.
According to a press release, at about 11:53 a.m. on June 16, police received a 911 call from a resident saying that her dog was under attack “by an unknown dog in her rear yard.”
“During the 911 call, the homeowner was screaming for help as she watched her dog attacked by the unknown dog,” the chief said. “Officers were sent to the residence as a priority emergency.”
There, police “saw the attacking dog biting and violently shaking the victim dog’s neck.”
“The homeowner who called 911 and a neighbor attempted to separate the two dogs by spraying water from a garden hose and using a hockey stick,” the chief said in the press release. “The unknown dog would not stop attacking.”
Fearing that the aggressor animal would attack the two women or officers, and that the victim dog would be killed, “an officer discharged his duty weapon to stop the attack.”
“The attacking dog succumbed to his injuries after being shot,” Krolikowski said. “The homeowner transported the victim dog to a local veterinarian hospital, and it is expected to survive. No additional details will be released until this investigation is complete.”
A post from Friday morning in a widely read local Facebook group described a similar incident in an unusual amount of detail, insinuating that police were deliberately withholding information. It wasn’t clear whether the individual who made the post was present during the incident.
Except in cases where they’re seeking more information—for example, from eyewitnesses—police as a rule do not discuss investigations until they’re closed, whether or not criminal charges result.
In this case, Krolikowski said, because the investigation is still underway, “we did not intend to release information publicly which could compromise the investigation.”
“However, due to misinformation being posted on social media, we decided to release the below facts,” he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the social media poster made inquiries of New Canaan Police himself or herself, or took straight to a closed Facebook group. The news represents the second New Canaan dog-related story to make headlines in recent days. One of the most-read articles of the week involves a member of the Parks & Recreation Commission who was issued a verbal warning by police after she was found to have her own dogs off-leash at Conner Field.
any charges brought against attack dog owner?
The investigation is active, George.
And it’s not an “attack dog,” please. No one sicced this dog on anyone. Who do you think is most distraught right now? Very unfortunate incident. No winners here.
Michael: with all due respect, we and you do not know if this was an attack dog or not … NCPD seemingly have not released this info regarding dog’s training.
No, I do happen to know that this is not an attack dog. That’s why I said above, “it’s not an attack dog.” And it is never an open question whether a biting dog is “an attack dog.” That’s not a reasonable assumption, ever. It’s wackadoo thinking.
p.s. this thread is closed