Hello. My name is Yesenia Rodriguez. I am a resident of Lake Station and have been since I was about 6 years old. I am a mother of three boys, and I was a proud owner of three beautiful dogs.

I am here to talk to you about a tragic event that occurred on Friday, April 21st, 2023, around 3:30pm. My neighbor had noticed that my front door was wide open. She also saw that two of my dogs, my Plott hound who is 3 years old and my American bully who just turned 1 on April 1st, were loose on the front lawn. She called the police because there have been numerous vandalism and break-in attempts on our street. She was worried that we had been robbed.

The police arrived and cleared my home. As they were leaving my home, the police officer noticed that my dogs began to run behind a group of children. The children ran into their home and closed the door behind them. My dogs were still on the front lawn of the children's home, and instead of waiting for the animal control to arrive, a Lake Station police officer exited his patrol car to go check on the children. I feel that it’s important to note - the children were already safe in their home.

When the officer closed his car door, my Plott hound ran off. My American bully, on the other hand, turned his attention to the officer and ran in his direction. This scared the officer,  causing him to draw his weapon and shoot my puppy in the head, ending his life. Shortly thereafter, animal control arrived and secured my Plott hound. They returned her to me at my home.

I have called the police chief and asked if this is their standard operating procedure, for an officer to shoot an animal because they become scared. He responded that yes, if an animal presents itself as a threat, it is to be shot down to protect the life of the officer.

So here I stand in front of you all to say that there needs to be a change - a change where animals are deterred in non-lethal ways. Lake Station police officers should be provided with training on how to handle a loose animal. If training cannot be offered to Lake Station police officers, then they should establish procedures that require them to wait for animal control to arrive as long as all parties are safe.

Lake Station police officers should also be required to wear a basic body camera, as the police officer in this case made a judgment call based on his own perception of an unsafe situation. He felt my dog was turning towards him and approaching him aggressively, so he reacted accordingly. That said, there is no video evidence to support this. There are also no witnesses. As the dog’s owner, I know in my heart that my sweet Billy Boy meant him no harm, as I never saw him behave in an aggressive manner. 

This matter should resonate with all animal lovers and owners. Dogs can often get out and become lost. What if every loose and lost dog was shot? What if your dog was shot, just for running towards someone? Will you support my petition called Billy’s Law?

 I believe that an attempted robbery occurred at my home, which led to my dogs running loose in my neighborhood. I am hopeful that if additional training and resources are provided to Lake Station police officers, other families won’t have to endure the same heartbreak and loss that mine did on Friday, April 21st, 2023.