Last week True Activist published a story that claimed that “one of the saddest parts about the police brutality that has come to light in recent years is the brutality against animals,” which received some criticism, but there was no dispute over the fact that there is too much police brutality against animals, namely dogs. In another sad story from Oklahoma that occurred just one day before the True Activist story was published, a family dog was shot at and left to die after a cop trespassed on the family’s property and the dog barked at the officer while no one was home.
On March 2nd, the Laymon family left the house for church and other activities, not knowing that within 10 minutes after their departure their beloved family dog Bruno would be shot by a police officer. After reviewing their security cameras, the family saw that the officer drove up their long driveway, got out of the patrol car, heard Bruno give verbal warning that he was not welcome, proceeded to continue towards the house and shot Bruno even though he had not even attempted to attack the officer.
But why was the police officer even on the Laymon’s property? Surely it must have been for a valid reason, like that someone had reported the Laymons for suspicious activity and the officer needed to investigate, right? Wrong. According to a Go Fund Me page for Bruno’s medical expenses, Angie Kaemmerling Laymon wrote that the officers were investigating a possible shooting in regards to a house that was half a mile away and doesn’t even border their home. When it was determined that the shot came from the East of the property in question, officers set out to search the Eastern areas. This would be a valid reason for encroaching on the Laymon property, except that her home is North of the property in question.
Angie described what she saw on the cameras and heard from others in regards to the unwarranted shooting of her family dog, Bruno:
“The Deputy drove down my long driveway, pulled in behind my vehicle and exited his patrol car. Based upon what I have been told, and also his body language and facial expression – the Deputy heard and saw Bruno barking a warning. Bruno is very protective of our home and family. The Deputy chose to continue towards the house – my German Shepard barked loudly and ran in a wide arch. Within 4 seconds the Deputy shot my dog.”
The officer then proceeded to approach the porch and leave a handwritten notice for the family, claiming that he was attacked by Bruno, which proved to be untrue. Instead of tending to the dog’s wounds or attempting to get help for him, the officer left Bruno alone on the property, where he would remain for 3 hours before the family returned home.
To make matters worse, it was the children who returned home first after a friend dropped them off from a church youth group they had attended together. The children first saw the note and then saw Bruno on the porch, leaning against the door and crying while still bleeding. The Laymon parents rushed home and arrived 15 minutes later, sure that Bruno had been shot in the gut and needed to be put down. Fortunately, at their vet’s recommendation, they went to have Bruno checked out before making any drastic decisions and found that Bruno might survive this attack.
Unfortunately, after the Laymons were able to find a way to come up with the money for surgery, it appears as though Bruno had to have his front leg amputated. According to updates on the Go Fund Me page for Bruno, he is back at home and struggling to understand what has happened to his leg, as he was once a very active dog who loved to run and play. Though he faces a long uphill battle for his recovery, the family is confident that he can overcome this obstacle and find a way to make his new situation work.
For now, the family is asking that Rogers County pay for the medical procedures that Bruno underwent. Since the donated funds from the Go Fund Me have already raised enough to pay off the procedure, the family said that if they do receive compensation from the county that they will set up a scholarship for families who cannot afford life-saving care for their fur babies. As for Bruno, he may not be able to stand and see the kids off at the school bus each morning like he used to, but the Laymons are hopeful that this tragedy will not dampen his spirits as he recovers.
If you would like to contribute to the Go Fund Me page you can donate or see updates on Bruno’s recovery here. If you want to help raise awareness about this police brutality against animals, share this article!
This article (Dog Shot At By Trespassing Police—Children Find Dying Dog And A Note 3 Hours Later) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
