Dogs are loyal companions to humans, and they will protect their owners when they feel that their human is in danger. That fact just makes the incident all the more tragic as the two dogs were fatally shot down after being accused of being "out of control."
The Shooting
The incident took place in London, UK where the owner of the two American Staffordshire Terriers, Louie Turnbull lived. The shooting was prompted by a woman claiming that she and her dogs were attacked by Marshall and Millions, although witnesses say that wasn't true.
According to the bystanders present at the scene, the woman merely got caught in the leashes of the dog and was never in danger. Following the woman's report to the police, Louie said that the law enforcers pulled out their weapons to intimidate him and the dogs.
He expressed that Marshall and Millions were only trying to protect him, but he "had them on the lead" and were therefore not a danger to anyone. Although the owner tried to get the dogs to the boat and talk to the police after, the police ultimately decided to gun the canines down.
To make matters worse, Louie Turnball was then tasered and arrested. He appeared in court, as mentioned in Distractify, as he was charged with being in possession of animals that were out of control. "It was just so disgusting," Louie lamented.
The Aftermath
The footage of the dogs being shot spread like wildfire on the internet, which has sparked an outrage on social media. The issues of police brutality have resurfaced and countless people across countries have expressed both grief and anger toward the incident.
The streets of London were filled with protesters led by Animal Rising, a British animal activist movement. A vigil was also arranged to honor the two dogs that were brutally shot. Louie spoke at the vigil, saying that he couldn't sleep because of the incident.
The support for the grieving dog owner was also felt online as people on social media shared the story of Marshall and Millions and expressed how much they loved their own pets. They also voiced their disgust over how the police acted in the situation.
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What Happened to Those Involved?
The woman who complained about the three-year-old Marshall and nine-month-old Millions was said to be "traumatized" by the events that had transpired. As seen on the video from Twitter, the dogs did not appear to be a threat at all as the woman screamed.
As for the police officer that fired the gun that killed the two Terriers, the Met had already cleared them of all wrongdoing. People didn't accept that the police would just get away with their actions without so much as a slap on the wrist.
A petition has been launched that calls for the Met police to be held accountable for what the animal rights campaigners called an "abhorrent" and "barbaric" shooting. According to the Daily Mail, the petition already has over a million signatures, and counting.
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