I will say that cops tend to have very little knowledge on how to handle animals, even dogs (unless you're something like an animal control or K9 officer). This is info I got from someone who actually went to a police academy. They're trained to shoot any dog percieved as a threat (some cops choose to mace or tase, which might've saved this animal, though it comes with risks if the dog doesn't back off). And it's unfortunate since crap like this ALWAYS happens. Dogs are predisposed to be caught in situations like this. Someone barges into the door (or even appears at the door) and dog goes nuts. Someone threatens owner, often they'll get worked up or even aggressive. Then add the stress and tension to any situation and things just get worse. A playful/excited dog and an aggressive dog don't always look significantly different, especially in high stress situations and the person with the gun isn't aware of animal behaviour. Aggressive dogs wag their tails and bark too, and some won't even growl. Bottom line anyone who knows and work with animals knows: animals are unpredictable.
That being said, I'm still angry. Damage has been done, and since my knowledge on police protocols is zip, I wonder if this was the apropriate action to even enter the situation. I wish whoever sent the call would have explaining to do, but I doubt that would happen (being anonymous and everything). There was a case a few years ago in Canada where cops didn't tell residents that they were doing police dog training. Went into a guy's yard, guy's dog was left out on property, dog attacked police dog, and then dog was shot dead. Not 100% the same, but does remind me as an unfortunate situation that could've been prevented.
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