The Gash

One of the few things I learned in Psychology 101 that isn't disproved yet was the story of Phineas Gage. He was a 19th century railroad foreman who had an iron rod go straight through his head, leaving him in a completely altered state, but still very much alive. It was a miracle, to be sure, and something I couldn't stop thinking about as I watched a Pit Bull who was shot in the face by a local officer slowly moving around her backyard today.

It was the second time Lancaster Police shot a Pit Bull in the city in under two months.

Yesterday a Lancaster Police officer ran through the yard of a city couple looking for a black bag and was chased out by their dog. He left the fenced-in area, only to be followed by Caprice, a 6-month-old Pit Bull. She chased him out of a gate for a few blocks until he proceeded to shoot her, and, later joined by another officer, totaled three gunshots through her face as they tried to control the large dog. Lancaster Police haven't apologized yet and the family is left with $1,300 in veterinarian bills. A Sargent with Lancaster Police told us the officer's actions are under review but, because he was caught off guard and acting in self-defense, unlikely to be disavowed by the department.

Here's the money quote from the dog's owner, as told to the Intel.

"Why do they always go for the gun?" she said. "What's wrong with jumping on a car, even if it makes you look stupid? My son was right behind them. He would have gotten the dog."

It was a sad story all around, especially seeing this dog with fresh wounds meekly playing with her family. The couple and five children are incredibly distraught, and public opinion is likely against the department as this is now the second such occurrence in as many months.

I do understand the difficulties this officer faced, though. He was called in for a suspicious person report and is suddenly running from a large, angry Pit Bull in the city. The officer doesn't have much training in dealing with aggressive dogs and sees her as a threat to himself and everyone else around, so he reacts immediately to stop whatever damage she could do. "Serve and protect," I get that.

But it's so difficult to watch a dog limp, no matter the reason. Sympathy clashes with objectivity, every single time. The best can turn it off like a switch, and I envy them.

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The Intel's solid writeup of the event