Police shoot, kill dog during Caledon raid, owner says

For the second time in two years, Peel police have reportedly shot and killed a dog during a raid.

The pet’s owner said it happened early Saturday morning, when police searched his home near King Street and Emil Kolb Parkway in Caledon. He wasn’t home at the time.

Police said they were at the home in connection with a robbery in Mississauga the night before. Around 8:45 p.m., three teens had allegedly robbed a store near Bristol Road East and Hurontario Street, armed with what looked like an assault rifle and a large kitchen knife.

The teens had allegedly pointed the gun at a sales clerk and demanded that the person open the store’s safe.

Police said the suspects had fled in a stolen vehicle with 89 iPhones and Canadian cash.

The clerk wasn’t hurt.

During the raid the following morning, police arrested two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old from Brampton and charged them with a number of offences. Among them: use of an imitation firearm, disguise with intent, possession of stolen property, and breach of probation.

The suspects can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Officers also allegedly seized more than $100,000 in property, including the stolen vehicle, iPhones, a replica AK-47 Airsoft rifle, and the knife and clothes used during the robbery.

In a news release, police said the officers had encountered an aggressive dog that had to be “put down” for safety.

However, the owner — who hasn’t been named to protect the identity of the youths charged — said his brother had put the King Corso in their parents’ master bedroom and locked the door so it couldn’t get out.

“I can’t even imagine how scared she was,” he said. “My dog, she was scared of the sound of a vacuum.”

The family claimed after bringing everyone who was in the house outside, an officer re-entered the home and shot and killed the dog.

The owner said when he got home, he found a big hole cut into the bedroom door. Animal services had already removed the animal’s body.

“I understand and respect Peel police. I respect their job. They put their life at risk for us,” another family member said. “There could’ve been a lot of other solutions. Killing her didn’t have to be a priority … especially a family dog.”

“My friends came over; I never had to warn them, ‘Oh, be careful.’ We don’t even have a ‘beware of dog’ sign.”

The family may choose to file a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, which could prompt an investigation.

On June 29, 2015, a Brampton woman said, Peel police shot and killed her German Shepherd during a raid to arrest her son.

At first, police made no mention of the gun being fired in a news release about the charges and refused to comment on the matter. Two weeks later, they admitted officers had shot the dog.

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