A man is grieving after a police animal control officer fatally shot his 11-month-old husky dog this week, mistaking the pet for a coyote in what authorities in Northbridge, Massachusetts, are calling a tragic error.
Kirk Rumford described his husky, Odin, as more than just a pet.
"My boys come first, but he was my next child, you know?" Rumford said, fighting back tears. "He was my meaning right now to do anything. We'd go to the dog park. He would eat half my house."
The incident occurred Tuesday when Northbridge's animal control officer responded to multiple calls about a coyote in the area near Fowler Road. According to Police Chief Timothy Labrie, the officer heard "a blood-curdling scream" from a caller.
"The 'coyote,' head down, hair up, is now coming towards Dan, walking towards Dan," Labrie explained. "Dan's calling out, 'Hey, hey, hey, stop,' you know, trying to distract it."
When the animal continued approaching within 10 yards, the officer fired his weapon, Labrie said.
It was only after approaching the fallen animal that the officer discovered a collar, revealing the devastating mistake.
"He was distraught. He was upset. He was crying," Labrie said of the officer, saying he is a 21-year veteran of the force who is also a dog owner.
Rumford questioned the officer's preparation for the call.
"He could have had a catchpole. But he got out of his vehicle looking for a coyote with nothing but a pistol on his hip," he said.
While acknowledging that Odin sometimes escaped the yard, Rumford said his pet was never aggressive, and that the dog likely approached the officer wanting to play.
"It's heartbreaking. He was just a puppy, you know?" Rumford said.
The police department says they are doing everything they can to help, including offering to cover cremation costs.
"We're human beings here at the police department too, and some of us have animals and dogs, and we're animal lovers also. So we truly feel bad," Labrie said.
