DES MOINES, Wash. - More than a hundred people and dozens of dogs gathered at a Des Moines home today to remember a dog shot and killed by police.
And amidst the public outcry, city leaders are calling for an independent investigation.
"We're really overwhelmed with the kindness that people have shown us," said Charles Wright, who owned Rosie, a 2-year-old Newfoundland. "People have come from all over the Northwest to show their respects. It's beyond words what it means to us."
A procession of Newfoundlands and Saint Bernards wheeling carts of roses joined in the memorial for Rosie. Letters, photos, and other items lined the fence of the backyard where the dog was killed.
"It is hard, but on the other hand it felt good just to be able to hug one [Newfoundland] again," said Deirdre Wright.
Last Sunday, around noon, Rosie got out of her yard. After someone called Des Moines Police, officers found the dog wandering in traffic. According to police reports, when they tried to get close to her, she growled and showed her teeth. The report also indicated she charged and barked at officers.
"On two separate occasions, the dog charged at us quickly, and retreaded [sic] after several loud shouts of 'Bad Dog Go Home,'" said the report.
One officer "deployed his Tazer [sic]," it continued, "striking the dog in its side with two dart probe contacts. The dog immediately began to yelp, and ran off with minimal effect."
The dog soon ran through an open gate into Lora Perry's yard, near the intersection of 16th Ave South and 272nd St.
"She got trapped because at some point I closed both gates," said Perry, who said she didn't notice the dog for at least 20 minutes. "I sensed that she was frightened, just because she was so frozen."
Perry said Rosie was sitting in a wooded patch of blackberry bushes in the back of her home when officers arrived.
Continuing the officer's police report: "I felt both my safety, and the safety of the public was in jeopardy because of this dog's vicious behaviors, and determined lethal force was necessary. Additionally, other means, such as calling the dog, using a Taser, and a catchpole, had failed in an attempt to detain the dog. All assisting officers were behind me and asked if they were prepared for me to use lethal force on the dog."
"After the first shot, I heard the dog yelping," Perry said. Officers said they shot the dog several more times, from about 30 to 45 feet away, and determined she was dead.
Perry disagreed with the decision, saying "everything that occurred was wrong."
"It absolutely didn't... have to happen," she said. "The dog could have stayed in my yard as long as she wanted."
The Seattle Humane Society and the Newfoundland Club of Seattle have asked city officials to investigate.
"Dogs are parts of our lives in Puget Sound, and regardless of whether it's a Newfoundland or some other breed, we expect them to be treated humanely and with compassion," said Richard Jack, president of the Newfoundland Club of Seattle, and one of the organizers of Rosie's vigil.
Dog owners from as far as Oregon and Canada attended the vigil.
Des Moines Police said a review board will determine if officers followed proper procedure in this case, but the city mayor is calling for a third party review.
"We're going to look at... some other organizations that may be requested to to look into the report and make comments on it," said Mayor Bob Sheckler, who suggested an animal advocacy group that has not made any formal statement on the shooting.
The Wrights spent the final moments of the vigil near a bundle of yellow roses at the site Rosie died, away from the dispersing crowd.
A Facebook page called Justice for Rosie has been created.
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