911 call leads to dog's shooting

BRADENTON - A Bradenton man is upset that a Manatee County Sheriff's Sergeant shot his dog. Ozzie was a 1-year-old bull mastiff and pit bull mix.

"I don't think drawing a gun and shooting my dog was the right thing to do," said dog owner Joe Viviani.

The shooting happened Sunday morning. Viviani says he wasn't home. He says his mother was at his house with Ozzie and his other dog, when the trouble began.

"The dog somehow jumped on the couch when she got here and dialed the phone," said Viviani. "It must've been to 911."

Manatee Sheriff's Office Spokesman Dave Bristow says the department isn't convinced one of the dogs called 911, but dispatchers did receive a hang-up call from the residence.

"They're claiming that the dog actually called 911. That sounds a little far fetched," said Bristow.

Regardless, officers respond to every 911 hang-up call. They can be dangerous because officers never know what to expect.

Sgt. Will Kelley responded to the call. Viviani's mother opened the door, trying to keep the two dogs inside the house. But 65 pound Ozzie got out. That's where the two sides of the story part ways.

"One of them kept coming at the deputy and eventually the deputy had to shoot the dog," said Bristow, adding that the dog was aggressive and not backing down.

Viviani says he doesn't believe his dog would behave that way.

"They were puppies. They were jumping, and happy, and sniffing around," he said. "And then, I guess, he got scared and shot the one dog."

Dog encounters are becoming more common for police officers. So much so, that in St. Pete, the police department drew up a new policy to deal with dogs, after an officer shot and killed Boomer, a 12-year-old, arthritic Golden Retriever.

The shooting created an uproar. Now, St. Pete officers will be trained to deal with dog encounters by keeping their distance and using catch poles instead of guns.

"Unless a dog presents a threat to a human being of death or great bodily harm, officers are not going to be authorized to use their weapons," explained St. Pete Police Chief Chuck Harmon.

Viviani says it didn't have to happen.

"They have pepper spray. They have a taser," he said. "I don't know why his first things was to draw a gun and shoot my dog right in the head at point blank range."

Bristow says based on the department's preliminary investigation, Sgt. Kelley did what he was supposed to do.