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Sheriff's deputies fatally shot a beloved pet when responding to a domestic disturbance call. Worse, they were at the wrong house. Debra Blackmore posted about the incident on her Facebook page. Her dog, an 11-year-old Husky/lab mix named Buddy, was a beloved family pet. San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies showed up at her home in the 7300 block of Redwood Avenue in Hesperia at about 12:30 p.m. on Monday, the L.A. Times reports. They were responding to a domestic disturbance called in by another neighbor, but the alleged disturbance was actually at the house next-door.
Blackmore wrote that deputies came to her breezeway, and that Buddy wanted to see who was there.
Blackmore also posted a photo that is not for the feint of heart. In the photo, Buddy lies dead on the floor, and blood can be seen all over the floor and walls.
A tearful Blackmore told NBC 4 that she buried her dog near a tree that he used to enjoy lounging under.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Lt. Brad Toms defended the deputies' actions. He said that deputies approached the home cautiously and "rattled the fence" to see if there were any dogs. He told ABC 7, "A couple of small dogs ran out, barked at them, followed by a much larger dog who barked aggressively and charged toward the deputies." Investigators say an audio recording of the incident reveals barking, followed by one gunshot.
After all of that, deputies did eventually make it to the correct home where they arrested a 42-year-old woman on suspicion of grand theft auto. The deputies involved in Buddy's death will not be punished.
In March of 2015, San Diego police responding to a domestic disturbance call at 5 a.m. on a Sunday shot and killed a 24-year-old man's service dog of six years. Similarly, the dog's owner believes the officers had responded to the wrong house.
