Police officer kills beloved family pet in front yard

• dog killed
• November 21, 2012
• By: Vania Maldonado
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Bonnie, described as an Australian Cattle Dog American Pit, looks very similar to this pit bull.

Credits: 

Jake Martin

Clarksville, TN -- Bonnie, known as Boo Boo around her neighborhood, was Judy Allen’s beloved family pet. She was well liked by the whole neighborhood and known as a friendly dog. “I let my one-year-old run around with that dog,” said next-door neighbor Beth Ann Smith. “Out of all my time living here I’ve only heard the dog bark once.” Another neighbor, Hugh Whited, said “My grandchildren played with Bonnie every day. The whole neighborhood loved her.”
Saturday this five-year-old dog’s life was brutally cut short when she was shot in the head by a police officer while she was chained well within her property. “A lot of people were outside when Bonnie was shot,” said Whited. “There were woman and children everywhere. What if a bullet hit them?” Allen’s neighbors and her six-year-old son were amongst the witnesses.
When Allen heard the gunshot, she ran outside and saw her dog lying in a pool of blood. A neighbor told her what happened. The police officer said he was sorry and immediately called his sergeant. Allen still doesn’t know what happened and police will not comment, stating a pending internal investigation as the reason.
Why was Bonnie brutally killed? What, if anything, could this friendly dog possibly do to provoke such a forceful response while she was chained within her property? Was the officer startled by her when he came around the corner? What if it were a child with a cap-gun? Would he have killed the child and said he was sorry? What else might provoke this sudden, unexpected, deadly response from this officer, and what is the city doing to control him?
Police officers are supposed to serve and protect neighborhoods, making the residents feel safe. This incident has had the opposite effect for Allen and her neighbors. They are now scared because local children play outside daily. “It’s hard to feel like my kids are safe,” Allen said. “The kids all play outside in the area where Bonnie was shot.”
Not only does Allen not feel safe in her own neighborhood, not only has she lost her beloved family pet, the image of Bonnie lying dead in a puddle of her own blood still haunts her. “I still see her laying there with a hole in her head,” she said through tears. “It’s emotional scarring, that’s what it is. It’s just like feeling the loss of a child.”