NORTHBRIDGE – A Northbridge, Massachusetts man is devastated after his Husky puppy was shot and killed by an animal control officer who thought the dog was a coyote.
Kirk Rumford is moved to tears as he talks about his 11-month-old puppy Odin.
“They say ‘we have bad news’ and all that. And it didn’t click until he said we shot him,” Rumford said. “He was just a puppy, you know?”
Northbridge Police Chief Timothy Labrie said Tuesday afternoon that an animal control officer responded to Fowler Road after a neighbor reported seeing a coyote in her backyard. The officer then went into the woods to try to find it.
“An Honest Mistake”
“Really an honest mistake,” Labrie said. “While he’s in the woods, he hears a bloodcurdling scream from the same lady he was just talking to, so he runs back outside and sees what he thought was a coyote. So he takes his position, he shouts to stand down lead it, maybe it will take off, get within 30 feet and then he fired a shot and killed the coyote.
The animal control officer soon discovered it was Odin and not a coyote. Rumford admitted that his dog was sometimes free and roaming the area, and police had received a number of calls about coyote sightings. Still, Rumford said his dog doesn’t look like a coyote.
Says the dog wasn’t aggressive
“He’s not aggressive at all, he’s a big goofball, he’s never shown his teeth,” Rumford said. “I take food out of his mouth and take him to the dog park and he just plays with everyone.”
The police said this was all a terrible mistake.
“I would call it a case of mistaken identity,” Labrie said. “The dog owner, we know he’s upset. He’s lost his dog, which to a lot of people is like a child. The animal control officer has been doing this for 21 years, he’s an animal lover himself, he’s clearly upset.”
Rumford said he’s not sure what he plans to do with his dog’s remains. Police said they are willing to help in any way they can and will pay for the cremation.
Paul Burton
