Video of Roseville police using a taser gun on a runaway dog Sunday has sparked international outrage on social media and drew more condemnation during a city council meeting Tuesday night that attracted Roseville residents and people from other cities.
"I'm going to start off by asking, cause I'm not familiar, 'is this an animal loving community?'," asked Sharon Senter.
The dog, called Chewy, escaped from his yard Sunday. His owners called police for help, fearing he may hurt himself or others. Police said officers pursued the pet for an hour and a half before cornering him. When they couldn't get a control pole noose around his neck an officer deployed his taser gun to subdue him.
Residents at the scene and some people who have watched the video believed Chewy received more than one shock from the gun, but police chief James Berlin said that was not the case.
"The dog was tased one time. The other clicking you hear after the initial tasing is called an arch switch."
Berlin said the officer inadvertently hit that switch-- which does NOT send a charge. A city official who analyzed data from the taser confirms the dog received a single, five second charge.
But members of the public question why the dog was tasered at all.
"I don't think that it's very appropriate for a dog to be shocked," said Steve Bodzar of Ann Arbor.
Not complaining about how police handled the situation-- Chewy's owners. they praised police for preventing him from being hit by a car. Roseville residents are worried about the safety of pets and police.
"I am concerned about the safety for not only the safety of my animals if they were to get out but the safety of the officers," said Christine Canary of Roseville.
