The Lodi Police Department are under fire from the community after news broke of a botched recovery of a family dog. An investigation is now in progress.
At approximately 3:12pm on January 24, 2023, the Lodi Police Department received a report of an aggressive dog, of the Husky breed, roaming around the Sandpiper Circle area of town. The call stated that the loose dog chased a family into their home, attempting to bite them in the process. The loose dog then riled up the family’s pet dog at their home’s side gate.
Click here to read the official Lodi Police Department Facebook post of the incident.
Animal Control responded to the call and witnessed a citizen using a piece of wood to keep the dog at a distance from himself and the owner’s pet dog. For those who are unfamiliar, a segment of the Lodi Police Department is responsible for the pet population and serve as Animal Service Officers.
After failing to capture the dog two times using a snare, Lodi Police Officers responded to assist the lone Animal Service Officer. According to the LPD, this is when the loose husky “approached a group of individuals that were standing out front of their residence.” One of the officers then used his taser to incapacitate the dog for the Animal Service Officer. The Animal Control Officer then used the snare to drag the dog from the street to his car while the Police Officer kept his finger on the trigger. Due to this behavior, the husky passed away at that moment.
Immediately after this was reported, the family of the slain dog went to social media to tell their side of the story. Aline Galeno and her mother Anna Marquez stated their dog, Enzo, was only two-years-old and never hurt anyone. Several of their pet dogs escaped that day, and all were captured quickly except for Enzo. The owners also claim their dog was never aggressive nor attacked anyone that day. They are now calling for the suspension and termination of all officers involved in the incident for not following protocol, and that charges be filed for animal cruelty.
A Change.org Petition was created by the family, and can be viewed here.
According to the Lodi Police Department’s Official page on Facebook, a formal complaint has been filed and the incident is under investigation. No further information can be released pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Click here to read the post regarding the formal complaint.
Further information will be posted when it become available. Keep an eye on The Grapevine for more news in the near future.
