Cop Shoots Guy's Dog, Blocks Him From Vet

Even the owner of a "friendly" and "socialized" German shepherd shot in the face by a Georgia cop last Thursday understands why the officer may have panicked upon seeing a pretty large dog running his way. What DeKalb County resident Tim Theall doesn’t understand is why Officer David Anthony Pitts then prohibited Theall from rushing his severely wounded pup, Doctor, to the vet because it wasn't proper post-shooting "procedure," reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Pitts was responding to an apparent false alarm when Doctor ran toward him "in an aggressive manner showing teeth and growling," according to the police report; Pitts says he "felt in fear for his life," so he opened fire. Despite Doctor "clearly bleeding like crazy,” Theall tells 11 Alive that Pitts twice blocked his car and threatened him with arrest; Theall was let go 30 minutes later after another officer photographed the scene. Pitts resigned from the police force yesterday. Doctor is recovering, and Theall’s wife has set up a fundraising website for the vet's bill. (Last year, one columnist made an impassioned plea for cops to stop killing dogs.)