Story by Sandy Giordano with contributions by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published May 15, 2023 7:51 A.M.
(Ambridge, PA) Following the shooting of a lost dog, Ambridge Police have told Beaver County Radio, the dog had no chip, tag or collar with her when it entered the area of the municipal complex parking lot on 11th Street on Friday. They say they then placed it in the kennel, and when they attempted to transport the dog to the Humane Society it became aggressive, attacking the officer. They state the dog lunged at an officer, biting him, as an attempt was being made to restrain him, resulting in the dog being shot. Police say they waited for the owner, but no one came forward. An investigation is being conducted in the matter. Ambridge Police have not commented further.
The dog was said to have still been alive after initially being shot and covered by boards for close to an hour, before it was shot again. Photos have surfaced on social media of the dog covered by wooden boards, with blood visible on the ground. It has been reported that Police were called to pick up the lost dog earlier in the day and had made Facebook posts with the dog trying to locate the owner.
A Facebook post was made by the department following the incident detailing the events that occurred according to Ambridge Police. The text of that post has been attached below:
“Today an unfortunate incident had taken place in the Borough of Ambridge involving a stray dog that was found by a Borough resident at 0910hrs. Officers were able to take custody of this dog which was a large Brindle in color female Pit Bull / Mastiff. The dog did not have any tags to be able to identify the owner. She was then transported back to the station to be checked by an officer with a chip reader to attempt to locate the owner. The officer was not able to locate a chip on the dog’s body. The dog was then placed inside the outdoor kennel at the Ambridge Police Department and given fresh water, in hopes that the owner would contact the department about their lost dog. A Facebook post, with pictures was made by the department to try and help locate and owner. After two hours of having the dog in custody, nobody contacted the department to claim ownership or advise the department of the owner.
At 1105hrs an officer went out to the kennel to retrieve the dog to take to the Beaver County Humane Society. As the officer opened the door to the kennel the dog immediately became aggressive and attempted to bite the officer in the hand. As the officer turned and began to run away, the dog bit him on his left knee. The dog was then closed back inside of the kennel. A second officer was then summoned to help secure the dog for transportation.
Both officers then went over to the kennel, one utilizing a dog pole to try and lasso the dog around the neck. As the officers opened the door to the kennel, the dog took an aggressive stance and began to growl and show its teeth towards officers. Officers then quickly closed the door to the kennel to avoid being bitten by the dog. The officers then gave the dog more water through the fence and gave her several treats to calm her down. Officers then went inside the station to come up with a plan to transport the dog to the Humane Society.
When officers came back outside the dog somehow escaped the kennel and was running loose around the parking lot of the Ambridge Police department and the District Justice Office. As officers attempted to catch the dog, she then charged at one of the officers. The dog got with in arms reach of the officer and lunged to attack him. The officer had no choice at the time but to dispatch the dog with his service pistol. The dog was then believed to be dead by the amount of blood and the lack of movement. An officer then covered up the dog with cardboard.
When officers uncovered the dog, we noticed that she was still breathing. Officers immediately began to call local veterinarians and the Humane Society to get the dog medical attention. After getting the Humane Society on the phone it was determined that it was best to put the dog down on scene. An officer then had to dispatch the dog with his service pistol.
A short time after the dog was taken to the Humane Society, a male called and claimed ownership to the dog and was told to come to the station. After he claimed ownership by phone, the post on Facebook was then taken down. This male never showed up at the station to claim ownership.
The department has since received several phone calls from people claiming to be the owner of the dog or know the owner of the dog. None of these calls have been credible. If you are the owner of this dog, please contact the Ambridge Police Department.”
