Owner says dog shot by Regina police officer had to be resuscitated, may lose leg

Lance Murphy's American Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, Missty, is expected to survive being shot by a Regina police officer, but she may lose her leg.

Murphy says he wishes he never brought his dogs to play in a field near the Regina airport Wednesday.

Canine officers were preparing to hold a training session at a fenced-off ball diamond in Rambler Park around noon when Murphy passed the cruisers in his SUV.

"The police officer who was sitting in the car made eye contact with me, and he didn't say anything," said Murphy.

Murphy said he drove to the far end of the field and opened the hatch to let his two dogs out, then threw a ball for them.

Then he saw an officer approaching. Murphy said Missty ran toward the officer.

"She was going back and forth. She had the ball in her mouth and her head was down," said Murphy

"I didn't have time to get one or two steps and the officer had his gun out and he started shooting my dog."

Murphy said the officer told him he wasn't allowed to be in the field without his dogs on a leash and asked to see their registration.

'She actually died in the vet shop'

The Regina Police Service is investigating the incident, and the acting deputy chief responded to reporters' questions on Thursday.

Police said at a news conference Thursday an "experienced member of our canine unit" approached Murphy to ask him to leash his dogs.

According to police, the officer wasn't initially concerned about Missty's behaviour.

The dogs ran toward the officer. Then, "the officer began sensing very troubling behaviour from one of the dogs, that appeared to him, to be assuming an aggressive posture and circling him," said acting deputy chief Corey Zaharuk.

Zaharuk said the officer feared an attack, drew his pistol and fired two rounds. One went into the ground, and the other hit the dog.

Murphy said the police should pay the vet bill for Missty.

"They've mentioned they might but they're going to wait until they have a decision on whose fault this is. They definitely should. I believe this is the fault of the police officer," he said.

Murphy brought the dog straight to the veterinarian after she was shot.

"She actually died in the vet's shop and they brought her back to life," he said.

Misty was put into 24-hour care and was there for a day when the veterinarian called Murphy.

"She wouldn't stop crying," he said.

Murphy spent several hours at Missty's side, lying beside her to calm her down. He eventually took her home, where she is now resting.

A surgery is scheduled for this weekend. The veterinarian will then determine whether or not the dog will keep her leg.

"When you squeeze it she doesn't feel pain or anything so that's a sign there's lots of nerve damage," said Murphy.

Donations coming in

Murphy doesn't know yet how much Missty's treatment will cost.

The veterinarian received $200 toward Missty's care from an anonymous donor. Now a GoFundMe page has been set up to support Murphy.

The campaign has garnered $2,500 in donations in two days, with a goal of $6,000.

"I want to thank every single one of those people who gave donations," said Murphy

"It makes you realize everybody's not bad, everybody's not out to get you. There are nice people in this world."