A Massachusetts man has opened up about the grief he has been hit with following an incident that left his pet Husky dead at the hands of a cop. According to NBC Boston, the officer mistakenly shot the 11-month-old canine after he believed it to be a coyote.
Authorities in Northbridge, Massachusetts, have since dubbed the November 19 accident a "tragic error." However, Kirk Rumford, who referred to his dog, Odin, as his child, told the Daily News:
"He was a good dog. He was a big, klutzy, fuzzy goofball. I'm still in shock."
Rumford reveals the husky was like his child, and claims the officer was ready to shoot him from the get-go
As reported by multiple outlets, Police Chief Tim Labrie said that the Northbridge Police Department was responding to neighborhood calls about a coyote in the area. An animal control officer was dispatched, and not long after, he happened upon the husky. He opened fire, killing the canine. Police have since referred to the incident as a "truly an honest mistake."
Labrie told WBZ news:
"While he's in the woods, he hears a blood-curdling scream from the same lady that he just spoke to, so he runs back out and sees what he believed was a coyote. So he takes up his position, he's calling out to distract it, maybe it'll take off, gets within 10 yards and that's when he fired a shot and killed the coyote."
Rumford reflected on his pup's passing with tears welled up in his eyes, as reported by NBC Boston:
"My boys come first, but he was my next child, you know? He was my meaning right now to do anything. We'd go to the dog park. He would eat half my house."
Labrie told the outlet:
"The 'coyote,' head down, hair up, is now coming towards Dan, walking towards Dan. Dan's calling out, 'Hey, hey, hey, stop,' you know, trying to distract it."
She went on to reveal that the officer, a veteran of 21 years, is a dog owner himself. She claimed that he was "distraught. He was upset. He was crying."
An unconvinced Rumford, however, revealed that while Odin may have escaped the yard every now and then, he was not one to get aggressive. He also claimed that the husky likely went up to the officer to play:
"He could have had a catchpole. But he got out of his vehicle looking for a coyote with nothing but a pistol on his hip. It's heartbreaking. He was just a puppy, you know?"
Per CBS News, he doubled down on his stance, noting that Odin was "not aggressive at all." Instead, he was just a "big goofball" who had "never shown his teeth once" and would always play with everybody at the dog park.
Kirk Rumford pens a heartfelt statement on his Instagram claiming his husky was a "lovable knucklehead"
Read Kirk's statement on social media below:
"This is my 10 1/2 yr old puppy. He's a pedigree dog.I bought him from 1 of the top 10 breeders in the U.S. I had to travel to New Jersey to get him,cause the breeder had 50 dogs. He had 3 in different movies. But cared so much for each 1. He wouldn't allow transport. He must meet you 1st. He was a lovable, knucklehead. He was NEVER aggressive!!!! But the Northbridge animal control,got a few calls of a coyote. And when he found "Odin". Claimed he was aggressively approaching him,baring his teeth,growling,while his fur was raised. Which is complete B.S. if you've ever met him! And instead of trying to capture what would of been the biggest coyote in Massachusetts, while wearing a black and fluorescent orange collar. Shot and killed my puppy today."
His statement went on to note that while the police may have told him the incident was a "mistake" and that the officer in question was "so upset," they were still operating under a "shoot first" agenda. He also doubled down on his pup's playful behavior, pointing out that he often received compliments on how well-mannered his husky was. He concluded his statement with a sarcastic thanks to the police department.
Trending
As reported by the outlet, Rumford is unsure what to do with his husky puppy's remains, while the police department has pledged to help in whatever way possible. They also offered to pay for Odin's cremation.
Reply
