Officers are trained to react quickly against any kind of threads...if its a dog or a maniac, instinct and distinction is not something you can easily understand in the middle of all the screaming that was going on. If a guy jumped on his leg, he would've shot the same way. Before we point at the cops and start the old anti-law rebellion, why not look at the lack of training officers have in this area? This isn't anything new, dozens of dogs get shot every year. But yet the academy seems to leave that pretty much out of their
training . As far as stoping suspicious vehicles, if you're on duty and you get a call that a roberry just went on and you see a car farting money off on the highway, you stop that vehicle knowing that you can get shot on the forehead before you even finish saying the word "registration". It's not an easy job, I agree with Phat_Penguin 100%. I feel bad for the officer being sued and for the family that lost their dog. It's unfortunate.

These investigators also puzzle me a great deal. How heavy can a wallet to stay on top of a moving vehicle at highway speed? I have a hardtime keeping my helmet on. Go figure :\