TALLMADGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Police say the deputy that shot a “gravely injured” dog on the side of the road in Ottawa County over the weekend followed protocol, but animal rescue advocates still have concerns.
The dog, a 14-year-old French Pointer named Doni, was hit by a vehicle on Saturday, Feb. 29 on Lake Michigan Drive near 8th Avenue. Two animal rights activists picked her up from the roadside Sunday.
“We noticed that her leg was pretty much broken in half,” said Sara Levering, who volunteers with Mosh Pit Rescue in Grand Rapids “Once we tilted her over, there was a lot of blood coming out. We noticed what appeared to be a gunshot wound over by her temple and her ear.”
The dog, which did not have tags at the time, was put down because it was beyond help, said Captain John Wolffis with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
“It does follow procedure in a situation in which an officer deems an animal is gravely injured and suffering,” Wolffis said.
It shouldn’t be a cop’s duty to decide when an animal can’t recover, Levering said.
“Just because a dog is in pain does not mean death,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of dogs who have been hit by cars...and made a full recovery.”
Activists were also angry the dog was found the morning after the incident took place. Wolffis said standard procedure is for dispatch to alert the Ottawa County Road Commission, which will then pick up the animal.
“She was shot, and her body was left overnight,” Levering said. “I don’t feel like that was appropriate at all. She was someone’s pet, not a wild animal.”
Doni was reported missing on social media over the weekend. The family identified her at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Grand Rapids on March 1 after Levering brought her in.
The sheriff’s office does everything in its power to help pets, but if they are deemed beyond help, a deputy will use discretion and put the animal down, Wolffis said.
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