WELLINGTON: The Wellington couple whose pet dog was shot and killed by a police officer May 9 aren’t blaming the police officer for the actions he took.
Craig Garrison and Crystal Butler admit they erred in leaving Cujo, their 80-pound boxer mastiff, on their back step while they stepped out briefly before supper. When the family of three returned home Cujo wasn’t where they left him and the couple’s five-year-old son Edward spotted him lying on the ground, appearing lifeless in the backyard.
Halifax District RCMP responded after receiving a call that a man, John Brown, and his 16-year-old son, Cody, were trapped inside their vehicle as the dog circled the car, reportedly foaming at the mouth and showing its teeth.
Const. Tamu Bracken, Halifax District RCMP spokeswoman, said the officer feared for his safety and that of others when he shot and killed the dog. She explained the son was trying to get his dad’s wheelchair out of the car, when the dog allegedly ran at him forcing him to jump back inside the car for safety.
She explained the dog returned after wandering off and lunged at the officer, forcing him to draw his weapon and fire five times.
Const. Bracken said animal control was en route when it lunged at the officer. They arrived shortly after the dog had been shot. They will be conducting a separate investigation into this incident.
Butler said her first reaction after finding out what happened was that of anger and frustration.
“Within a couple days, I started to blame myself,” Butler told The Laker. “We left him out on the deck thinking that he’d be safe. I should have forced him to go in the house. To leave him out on the deck for an hour obviously was a mistake.”
“There’s so many things go through your head as to what you could have done differently,” Garrison added. “I never expected him to jump off the deck.”
He added the distance between the back deck and the ground is eight feet. Cujo and other big dogs have been on it before and never jumped off it.
Garrison said the first reaction for anyone in the same situation is frustration and the need to blame somebody.
“It’s getting a little bit easier, but still every day we’re thinking of it,” he said.
“It’s not something we’ll ever forget,” Butler added.
Cujo was only with the family a couple of months. Butler said life hasn’t been the same since he was killed and that she can still feel the dog’s presence at the home.
“I don’t have Cujo to take to the park, cuddle and read anymore,” Butler said. “Our son misses him desperately. Just knowing that Cuj isn’t here anymore is hard. There are some days that I’ll lay down and I swear I can feel his head resting on the back of my knee. I can hear his tail hitting the wall. Life just hasn’t been the same without Cujo.”
One thing Butler hopes that can come from Cujo’s death is to see the RCMP get alternative measures when it comes to situations like this. She added the officer who killed their dog has recently stopped in and spoke with the family about the ordeal.
“I wish they had alternative ways to deal with these types of situations,” Butler said.
She asked the officer why he decided to get out of the safety of his police vehicle if he felt threatened.
“He said ‘If I would have stayed in my car and that dog decided he was going to leave us alone and go down the street and attack a kid,’” she explained. “That’s what it all boils down to. Procedures were followed.”
“You can’t fault him for acting,” Garrison interjected.
After watching the story air on the evening news, Butler went to the TV station’s website and felt the need to post a comment in their defence.
“The way it seemed like we came across was that we weren’t at fault for anything and that it was all the officer’s fault,” Butler said. “When we’re interviewed right after it happened, you’re going on emotions. My comment was that we don’t blame the officer. He felt his life was in danger, he needed to protect himself. He has a family at home too.”
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com