TX couple blame police officer for dog's death

A Texas couple was caught going 95 mph on I-35 near San Marcos -- they were trying to get their dog to an all-night vet because the animal was dying. The couple is upset because the officer kept them for 15 to 20 minutes. By the time they were allowed to leave, the dog was dead. Snip:

She said they begged to be allowed to take the dog to the clinic, also asking that they be allowed to turn themselves in to be ticketed or arrested or for Stephens (the officer) to detain Gonzalez (the boyfriend) there while she drove the dog to New Braunfels.

Instead, she claims, Stephens responded, “Chill out, it's just a dog, you can buy another one.”

Instead of hurrying to issue the ticket, Gonzalez said, Stephens chatted with two other officers on the scene. When he finally allowed them to leave 20 minutes later, the dog was dead, Gonzalez said.

The traffic ticket has been kicked. The chief is doing an internal investigation. He says it wasn't "our finest hour" but says the couple shouldn't have been speeding.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Shultz!

Comments

[Truth Teller]

The officer should be fired.

If he gets upset, he should be told to "chill out", it's just a job. You can find another one.

[Oregonian]

When one of my family's dogs was hit by a car and found by a police officer, he radioed ahead to let other officers in the area know why my dad was driving over the speed limit and to let him go. The dog lived, albeit with a caved in skull and completely damaged eye.

This officer, on the other hand, chose to be insensitive. Maybe he shouldn't be fired, but should be expected to apologize and provide some financial compensation to the couple.

[Isotope]

I feel so sad for this family and their loss. The police officer should have followed them to the vet if he had any suspicions after seeing the animal in the backseat. Also, the family should have called ahead to the city police as they were leaving to let them know what was up. Mistakes all around, but could have easily been resolved by the officer following them to the vet. The officer should be suspended for intentionally being insensitive and cruel.

[Isotope]

Did I say suspended? I meant officer should be fired, and kicked in the groin.

[BMOC]

They shouldn't have been doing 95. Could have killed themselves and/or someone else in their effort to save the dog. OTOH, the cop is obviously one of these people who are locked into their standard procedure and no one or no thing is going to get them to deviate from that. These people drive me nuts. Certainly he could have followed them to the vet and wrote out their ticket there. That happened to my sister in law who's husband was driving her to the hospital when she went into labor. They got caught speeding and the cop followed them to the hospital and gave them their ticket there.

[BMOC]

They shouldn't have been doing 95. Could have killed themselves and/or someone else in their effort to save the dog. OTOH, the cop is obviously one of these people who are locked into their standard procedure and no one or no thing is going to get them to deviate from that. These people drive me nuts. Certainly he could have followed them to the vet and wrote out their ticket there. That happened to my sister in law who's husband was driving her to the hospital when she went into labor. They got caught speeding and the cop followed them to the hospital and gave them their ticket there.

[spicolli]

The PRICK should have gave them a police escort. Times have changed folks, get used to it.

[Rosie]

Go Spicolli. When my American Bulldog, Soldier, was shot in 1999, I drove 19 miles in 11 minutes to the vet. I don't know how fast that is for sure -- I just did the math and I got 103+ mph? Could that be right? I wouldn't have pulled over for anyone had I been blue lighted. The dog survived, minus a hind leg due to a massive exit wound that shattered his femur and most of the muscle tissue on his hip. He had been shot in the behind while running away from his attacker on the county road in front of our home, the guy was chasing him in a pickup truck while he was trying to get back in the yard of our home in a remote, rural area. This cop should be at a minimum suspended and made to do community service at a veterinary emergency hospital without pay for 30 days. Disgusting.

[willow]

While I agree the officer's comments were rude and insensitive, I'm glad he pulled that guy over. It is one thing to speed a little but that dog owner was more than just speeding. He was speeding excessivly, driving like a maniac, weaving in and out of traffic and putting everybody else's life in danger including the dog he was trying to save. I'm surprised they didn't cuff the guy and take him to jail the way he was driving. Once the driver was out of the car he was shaking out of control. He had no business driving in his condition. Think about it, would you want this man to be allowed back in his car in his condition driving like a moron while you were on the same highway with your family? I'd say the dog owner was lucky that he didn't kill someone and I'm quite certain if he had caused a wreck where another person or innocent child were harmed or killed, his excuse that he was rushing his dog to the vet would not be acceptable to the victim's family. I suppose the police officer could have loaded up the dog's owners and the dog and hauled them to the vet in his police car and perhaps any other officer would have done it, but if he had allowed that guy back behind the wheel of the car in his condition, it would have been a really stupid thing to do.

[rob]

WILLOW:

How do you know how he was driving? That's pure speculation unless...you are the cop.

Shame on you. Hopefully you will grow from this deplorable and heartless act. You have better days ahead.

[Terrible]

What if this had been a kid? Would the officer have said, "It's just a kid; you can make another one"? I know there's a debate about pets' importance for some, but many feel pets are a part of their family. There's no reason the cop couldn't have followed them to the vet's office and given them a ticket there. I wouldn't have stopped.

IT WAS JUST A DOG !!!!!

[cml]

Bad deal. Right or wrong, people (Me for sure) Love their dogs. I know I would speed my tail off to the vet.

[willow]

Rob,

There are numerous reports on this story all over the news media including video. Based on the reports and the video, he was in no condition to drive and was endangering everyone with his recklessness including his life, his girlfriend's life and also the little dog he wanted to save. I wonder if the dog owner would think his reckless dash to the vet was worth it if he had wrecked and killed his own girlfriend. I wonder how understanding the public would be if the story read more like "Dog owner in frantic race to save dog, crashes into minivan killing family of 4 as well as his own passenger." Then if it was later discovered that the cop either didn't stop the guy or stopped him and then let him go, the cop would be in the wrong again for being dumb enough to let the guy back behind the wheel.

I am not saying that I don't sympathize with the dog owner's situation. I do. But I also expect him to hold himself responsible when it was his driving that got him pulled over in the first place. I would think at some point he would have to wonder how things might have turned out if he chose not to speed, weave, etc. to the vet's office. I guess it is just easier to blame others and accept no responsibility especially when so many people will justify your actions. I'd bet my ridiculous salary that most of those same people would be wanting to stone this man to death if he had ran over a small child in his frantic rocket trip to the vet's office. In a perfect world the cop would have offered to transport the couple and the dog to the vet's office and its sad that he didn't. I doubt we would be hearing about the story if he had done that though unless during the time he was transporting the couple and their dog a woman a block away on a frantic 911 call was murdered and could have been saved had the officer not been playing animal ambulance. All hell would be breaking loose then too.

[jb]

First, 95 miles an hour is deadly force driving. They could have killed themselves, others on the roadway and the dog.
Second, it could have been handled differently. I think that once it was determined that the dog was gravely injured a vet could have been summoned or the transport could have continued at a safe speed for all concerned.

[ZOE]

I feel the same way that the officer was very insensitive. I am an animal lover and if that had been my dog I would never get over the fact of the way things happened. The only thing I can say is (and this is NOT in defense of the cop) is that the vet's office was about 24 miles away. They would have to had an escort to the city limits and then another escort starting from the next county. I personally would have done that, but I don't the cops do that very easily when it involves different counties and different cities. I am very unhappy about the whole thing too!!

[Bohica]

WHere I agree that they shouldn't have been driving that fast... the cop was WAY wrong in saying that you can get another dog!
My dog died of cancer 3 weeks ago. I know I could never get another Rascal!! I raised him at 3 weeks old, bottle fed him, went out at 3 a.m. for his potty breaks. He even went to day care with my kids!!
Even though he would never have hurt anyone, his size and his bark was better than any security system available for homes.
So much for this cops theory.

[Thomas]

BMOC: The cop may have been one of those people who are "locked into their standard procedure" as you put it, but he also purposely and maliciously detained the couple beyond necessary so the dog would die.

The couple should have been given a ticket swiftly then either escorted to the vet (generous case) or expeditiously let on their way (bare minimum for civility and duty).

It's been proven that lack of empathy towards animals is a danger sign which can carry over to a lack of empathy or worse toward human life. That is not a characteristic I want in the people who have been given the authority to serve as a police officer.

[Thomas]

btw, never tell a police officer when pulled over that you have such and such a time to get where you are going. It will "coincidentally" take that long for him to write you a ticket. If you don't say anything, he will write you the ticket and get on his way to fulfill his quota.

If the guy was really driving 95 mph and was as reckless as everyone seems to believe I have only one question: Why was the ticket "kicked"?

[private_eye]

I would blame the cop for the dogs death. I agree, this piece of sh*t needs to be kicked in the groin and fired!

[Herbert Spencer]

Similar story to the mayor in the DC area whose gentle dogs were gunned down during a screwed up raid on the mayor's house.

They're cops, not gods and when they treat people like crap they should lose their jobs. If he was a prick in this case, he would be in others. The last thing we need in this country is another insensitive traffic cop. If the power goes to your head, you should be fired.

[chuck jackson]

Fortunately I wasn't stopped with my dying cat when I had to make a similar trip. ER vet was over 40 miles from home, it was the 4th of July, NO other vet in town(KC) was open. Lucky for me, traffic was light on the holiday. I'm sure I broke 100 mph that day. I did my best to drive sanely even at that speed. My emergency flashers were on and the only person to not get out of my lane was the girl on her cell phone. Once I was close, I vowed not to stop until I was at the vet. My cat lived and is still alive even with diabetes. Fire this jerk of a cop for his complete lack of sensitivity and for his complete failure to show any empathy to these people. What a punk!!!

[none]

nothing but animal cruelty charges need be applied

How far were they from the vet's office at the time they were stopped? Five minutes or 30 minutes? Even if the cop hadn't stopped them if they were 30 minutes away, the dog would have died anyway. Who knows if the dog would have lived if they were only 5 minutes away. I'm a dog lover too, and have had to go to an Emergency Hospital for them twice in the last several months, and I live a good 30 minutes away, but I've never sped to get them there. I don't want to get stopped and be delayed by getting a ticket, which I know is what would happen. Use common sense.

first off .. ooohh 100 miles a hour bigg friggen whoop WE all act like going triple didgets is the big sin... Crap people if you drive around any major open road interstate the avrage speed on some roads is atelast 10 to 15 miles over the poasted speed limit.. ie people booking along about 85 mph to 70 30 mor mph aint gonna make a whole hellova lot of diffrence.. Hell the roads here in the uk are even worse for traffic speed variations ie tractors doing 30 while a car passes you doing 120 and you know what.. i dont see people getting plowed off the road every friggen day.. And dam Telling people eh its just another dog.. Watching life just fade away infront of you no mater what it is is a lil distrubing expecialy if you could prevent it.. Im waving the BIG BS flag here.

I would have done anything to save my pet who is a part of our family. Nothing could have stopped me. I was stopped because I was driving over the speed limit rushing my dog to the Vet after he was shot. Police officer took immediate action and he called ahead to other officers and then assisted me to my vet. No ticket - he knew this was an emergency.

[Bob vila]

IT'S JUST A STUPID DOG...

[steve]

What a jackass. I hope tourists avoid San Marcos like the plague until they fire the sob.

[Rob]

It is sooo funny to see these comments. If that guy had hit and killed a child due to his speed then would you say "ohh.. at least the dog survived.. he should be able to speed". Whatever. You people are hypocrites. At no point should a dog be placed above the lives of people. Period. End of sentence. As for the escort.. WHY? Police are not going to lead him at high speeds either.. they don't want to die for the stupid dog either. They are also not going to let him run red lights, even with a escort it is still dangerous. You people whine and cry about police until you need us. Then you change your tune.

[Marilyn]

If you think Stephens should be fired, please sign this petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fire-san-marcos-police-officer-paul-stephens

I'm sorry I don't have a link to give to a petition that would cover "If you think Stephens should be hung by his balls until he becomes a human being..."

[KM]

The officer should be fired!! A guy like that has no business in law enforcement!

You can be sure that if it was the officer's dog, he would have driven over pedestrians if necessary!

Fire him! It's just a job. He can find another one. Perhaps 12 months of cleaning up roadkill would help!

[none none]

Forced at gunpoint to watch a loved-one slowy choke and die when help was just a few minutes away...
I can not think of a more horrible form of psychological torture.
I hope they sue and bankrupt that terrorist organization known as the San Marcos police!

[jimbo]

Yay! Reactionary thinking at its finest! The officer definately needs to control the scene better. But the driver is way out of control himself. Hysterical and behind the wheel is way unsafe. Bottom line, people, not everything finishes with a happy ending. Is the life (or potential of loss of life) of humans worth more than this guy's dog? Morally, yes. Personally, I like my dog better than most people (and my dog is dumb). We could play "what if" all day (and night) but it works out to this. Police Officers are forced to make hard decisions on scene that most people would never want to undertake but will happily discuss from the comfort of their own home with anyone who will listen. Police Officers are human beings. They make mistakes. I really believe this one did, but not because he said what he said, but because he got caught up in the hysteria that the dog's owners were exuding. He let their energy dictate the scene. Maybe more training would help. Maybe if the owners of the dog were more realistic about the danger they put everyone in that would have helped.

I'm truly sorry their dog died. I am a whole lot more pleased that no one else died though. If any of you get the opportunity to see a Police Officer make a death notification to someone about a loved one you will understand what pain is. I'm not saying that you can't love your dog (or cat. Well maybe not cats.) but kill a person or persons driving that way and it puts things in a whole different perspective. That officer should have been more sensitive, true. The owners of the dog should have never put him (or the rest of the public) in that circumstance to begin with. By the way, watching COPS or America's Funniest Police Brutality does not qualify you to be an expert at how the Police should do things.

Be safe. Think about your actions. Realize that the world does not revolve around you (or me for that matter). Take responsibility for what you do in life.

I saw and heard the video. The driver was bi-polar, emotionally out of control, a danger to himself and others, and should not have been behind the wheel of a car in this scenario. In fact I wonder if under any scenario. Dog, wife in labor, whatever y'all, this guy killed his own dog by making a bad decision. End of story. Re: the officer, you just do their job for one day and see how well you do!

I have driven THAT stretch of road many times and at that late hour, there is not a whole lot of traffic. At least there should'nt be a family of four driving around! If you've lived in that HICK area, you'd understand what I mean. I have children living in that area. But, watching the video, you see that officer Stephens' behavior only sparks the situation rather than try to calm it down. His comments about the dog are insensitive, and WRONG. I appreciate what HE does but I value my dog more than HIM! So, instead of trying ti diffuse and ASSIST, he only sparked it more. My suggestion: Community service at an emergency vet clinic for 90 days, that will help him understand the relationship between humans and their pets. Oh, politeness classes wouldn't hurt either!