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Tenn. cops get training for dealing with angry animals
By Kevin McKenzie
Commercial Appeal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When a police officer and a dog meet eye to eye, an officer trained in dog behavior knows what to look for and has planned ahead.
That gives the officer options and a comfort level that could save the canine from being shot.
Nina Wingfield, director of Collierville Animal Services , delivered that message Thursday during a seminar for the city's police command staff.
Such training educates police about ways of handling "unpleasant encounters between us and animals we may come upon while doing our duties," said Asst. Police Chief Jeff Abeln.
Police recruits receive academy training, but the Collierville department tapped Wingfield to provide the seminar for the brass for the first time.
Recent dog shootings in Memphis have drawn attention to how police react when they encounter the animals.
On Oct. 22, Memphis officers shot and wounded one of two Lab-mixes in the backyard of a High Point Terrace home where they were checking a burglar alarm. Police ruled the dog shooting justified.
Two weeks earlier, on Oct. 10, an officer shot and wounded a dog while investigating another burglary. Police said the dog came out of an unsecured door and charged the officer. He pushed it away with his arm; when the dog came back, he shot it.
And Monday, Memphis police said an officer shot a pit bull , but did not kill it, after it charged out of a Parkway Village house and bit an officer.
"They are all going to bound toward you," no matter the breed, Wingfield said.
She pointed to nonlethal weapons officers can use: SprayShield , a citronella spray formerly known as Direct Stop that gives dogs pause, a collapsible baton also known as a "bite stick", and the small fire extinguisher carried in squad cars.
Two sources provided multimedia ingredients for Wingfield's seminar.
One was an online course , Dog Bite Prevention for Law Enforcement and Other First Responders, provided for $10 by Humane Society University .
The other was video from Animal Care Training , featuring tips from animal behavior experts Suzanne Hetts and Dan Estep.
In past years, Wingfield provided a similar seminar for the town's code enforcement officers and another for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division agents.
Wingfield, who said pet owners should ensure that their dogs are properly confined and socialized, said officer safety is the first priority.
"But knowing the breed, knowing dog behavior, yes you can prepare yourself," she said.
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Copyright 2009 Commercial Appeal
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