Outrage after policeman publicly shot a homeless man's dog in Barcelona
The controversy was generated in Barcelona, Spain over an incident with a policeman that ended with a pet dog shot dead.
On December 19, Telecinco reported that an officer from the Barcelona Urban Guard killed a dog that, according to the local authorities, had bitten him.
The death of the animal happened minutes after the encounter between the law enforcer and the dog took place. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa,
Because of these events, the Animalist Part Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) called a protest that afternoon in the county capital after checking the facts from a video shared on social media.
#JusticiaporSota. " I knew them both. Sometimes i used to have a conversation with her owner and i used to play with Sota. They never were aggressive. He is one of the most friendly ppl i've ever known and Sota wanted to play to whoever walks by her...' #JusticeforSota pic.twitter.com/plYTpIsd0W
— Warriors4Wildlife_Int™ 🌐Ⓥ🐾 (@W4W_Int) December 19, 2018
The breed of the animal is considered "potentially dangerous" so the agents proceeded to identify its owner since the pet was unattached and without a muzzle.
As the member from the Urban Guard briefed, the dog had jumped on the agent, biting his arm, leaving him no other option but to open fire against it.
My heart is broken 😭 you did not deserve this Sota 💔💔💔 #JusticiaParaSota pic.twitter.com/tXvQ8VRQPG
— STOP YULIN (@prohibityulin2) December 19, 2018
The owner of the animal reacted by assaulting the agent, which resulted in the man’s arrest. Despite the public outrage over the incident, the Urban Guard defended its member’s actions.
The police department insisted that the officer acted "in defense of his physical integrity," and while they lament the death of the animal, they denounced that the officer is currently on leave with a concussion and broken teeth.
He lost his only company, best friend. What a bad day, justice for him as well #JusticiaParaSota pic.twitter.com/1jGmqfaLZW
— Ozge Can (@Ozgesita) December 19, 2018
A similar case happened on American soil when a family from North Carolina complained about a Reidsville Police Officer who shot and killed their dog Auger for no apparent reason.
As the Paschal family told the press, they were doing some fence work for the police department and took their Australian cattle dog along, as they had done previously on several occasions.
🙏💔🐕 #justiciaparasota
— World Animal News (@WorldAnimalNews) December 20, 2018
Hundreds of people rally in front of #BarcelonaCityCouncil to protest the death of #Sota, a homeless boys dog who was shot dead by police on Tuesday.📍Protest Sat, Dec. 22nd @ 5pm at the #BarcelonaCityHall *SHARE WORLDWIDE!!!
📸 @jazroman @LaVanguardia pic.twitter.com/Ku28tcWE0N
According to the Paschal’s, the officers were familiar with Auger and had even played with him prior to the unfortunate incident.
tonight the group will not watch the Celtic match. we are upset about what happened in Barcelona!#JusticiaParaSota pic.twitter.com/6sbIwKTvfm
— Bergamo Celts 🎗🇮🇪🇵🇸 (@BergamoCelts) December 19, 2018
"He took my best friend Auger for no reason. Complete cold blood, and the only thing he could say was I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. And he kept on saying that and saying that," Kevin Paschal shared.
Animal advocacy keeps gaining strength as people develop awareness about animal suffering and try to have a kinder relationship to our furry friends.
This is why these kinds of actions rarely go unnoticed anymore.
Animal Lover Fatally Shot While Trying to Save Abused Puppy.
— Scarlett Baby NYC (@ScarlettBabyNYC) August 8, 2018
Robert Wilson (right photo) Questioned the Animal Abuser Who was Choking the Yorkshire Terrier. Wilson was Shot and Sadly Died.https://t.co/KAfRh2yft0 pic.twitter.com/OY8YAYcjL4
Some people are willing to do anything to protect innocent animals from harm, but sometimes there is a price to play, as Robert Wilson from Tennessee experienced in an incident that cost his life.
As his girlfriend told the press, all that Wilson did was trying to talk a stranger into stop abusing his puppy dog, which resulted in the violent man shooting him to death.