Encounters between police officers and dogs are on the rise and, more and more often, they're ending with dogs being fatally shot in residential areas.

The Dayton Daily News recently reported that the Dayton Police Department is on track this year to double the number of dogs fatally shot just two years ago. Internal investigations have cleared the officers in every one of the 44 fatal dog shootings since 2008. Even if every one of those dogs was threatening the officer, why aren't they looking for alternatives to firing weapons in neighborhoods, especially when Dayton has a community initiative to reduce gun violence?

Despite the rise in dog ownership, police receive little to no training on how to handle dogs or understand their behavior. As a result, dogs are commonly shot by police because their behavior was misinterpreted. In addition, animal control in every city manages to handle encounters with stray, aggressive dogs without the use of firearms.

Dayton has the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the country by developing a model program to handle encounters between officers and dogs without resorting to lethal force. Training, as well as protocols for using non-lethal methods of containment such as pepper spray and tranquilizers, saves the departments money by avoiding investigations and potential lawsuits, and is more humane for the animals and safer for both officers and citizens. 

Photo credit: johnath