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Health & Fitness

Amoré Was a Good Boy

Amoré was a good boy.

He was born under Mom-a-Bear's bed, on July 3, 2012. He was the runt of the litter (the litter which included current Landfill dogs: Jerry Bear, Chewybuddah and Derby). By the time he died, he was already the second biggest puppy of the litter.

Two of Amoré's uncles, on his father's side (Bruno and Son) also still live on the Bulb. Amoré's mother, Jonakey, was from Jack and Lady Belle's litter (as are Amoré's aunt Princess and uncle Nanda). Sadly, Jonakey, was shot and killed by SFPD earlier this year. 

Amoré's grandpa, Jack, still lives on the Bulb, and has developed a habit of chewing through his leash and freeing himself, so he can go on walks with random people (which was Amoré's favorite past time, for many months, before his untimely death). 

Amoré's first owner, never really had any time for him. Still, when she and her senior dog (Amoré's "surrogate mother") went away and left him behind, Amoré fell into a deep depression. 
He barely ate, and did nothing but sleep all day, for almost two weeks.
While Amoré was depressed, nothing (no sound, no smell, no food, no toys) could make little Amoré perk up... except the sound of Don's voice. 
Eventually, it became evident that a bond had developed, and all parties agreed that Amoré should stay with Don.

Amoré was a good boy.

Amoré was always timid.
Not wimpy, just scared. 
The entire community has known him and his litter mates their whole lives, and witnessed (almost) every event.
And none of us could ever figure out, why he was always so scared of everything. 
Thankfully*, since Amoré was never on a leash, he was never without the freedom to run away from something that scared him. 
Which was good: because virtually everything scared him.

Amoré was never kept on a leash, or lead, by any of the humans whose care he spent time in. 
Many Bulb residents had asked Don to keep a closer eye on him, partially so that he didn't freak out some unsuspecting, park visitor, who might have an irrational fear of big dopey dogs, but also so that he wouldn't get stolen. (Mom-a-Bear's dog, Rottie-Bear was gone for a year once, and it is suspected that he was "rescued" by a park visitor.) 
But, having only ever been put on a lead/tie-out, when his human was going to leave him at home and go somewhere without him, he would get so sad when he was tied up, that Don couldn't bear to do it. 
But, thankfully, with a big ol' gentle giant, like Amoré, his wandering had never caused any problems.*

He was very social, yet very timid. 
I remember one woman telling me about how Amoré had gone for walks with her and her dog for a long time before she finally found out his name was Amoré. She said, before that, she would try to guess his name, while he wandered with them. 
Eventually, she realized that he went for walks with many people and their dogs, on a daily basis. She told me "I used to think I was special..." then, she laughed "but he does this with everybody!"

As friendly and social as Amoré was, he still trusted very few people. 
If you offered him a treat, and he didn't Know you Really Well, he would back away, with his head hung down. Sometimes, he would go find his brother Chewy, so that Chewy could go accept a treat first. And, even then, he might decide that it wasn't safe, and would just trot off to somewhere else. 
If someone yelled, for any reason, he would almost always run away.
Amoré's demeanor was such that, if those officers had actually called out for the owners of the dogs at Pee Walk that morning, to come and get their dogs BEFORE they shot and killed Amoré (as opposed to AFTERWARDS, as the person who was within earshot of the incident heard) he would have run away in fear.

I have heard plenty of blame for Amoré's death, being cast onto his owner (and, I am in no way trying to absolve him of his errors).
But, we should all keep in mind: there was (at least) three other dogs, who were running loose that morning (whose owners WERE nearby, but had stepped inside, and out of sight, for only a moment).
If one of those dogs had been shot, would the blame have been cast on their owners, as well? Or, would anybody who walks their dog(s) on the Bulb have legitimate reason to be concerned, if their dog wandered out of visual range, and an Albany Police officer drove in? 

This is a public park. 
An "off-leash dog park", no less... 
Should any dog who runs around out here, and slips out of sight from it's human, really be a potential target for an officer with a lethal weapon and inadequate training, who doesn't know to not be afraid of a puppy?

In 2010, Albany Police Department raided the house of a couple that lived on Key Route.
During the raid, an officer went down into the basement and opened the door to the room that the couple's dog, Remy, was barking in: leashed and alone. 
The officer deployed their taser on the dog, and then shot him, 10 times. 
Remy was not aggressive. 
The excuse for Remy's murder, given AFTERWARDS (similar to how the officer who, immediately AFTER shooting Amoré, said "I had to shoot him, he lunged at me!") was, that Remy had been "terrorizing the neighborhood". 
Really? 
A dog that was never allowed to wander around unattended?
"Terrorizing the neighborhood"?!?!
It was obvious, that the "terrorizing the neighborhood" story (much like any accusations of Amoré having "lunged" or, later having "bitten") was a lie.
An excuse, thought up after the fact, in a desperate attempt to justify the actions of an Albany Police officer, who probably should never have been allowed to carry a gun.

Please, don't get me wrong... 
I am in NO WAY trying to imply that the Albany Police Department encourages, nor approves of, it's officers shooting dogs. 
Nor am I one of the people who believes that APD came out here, on Monday morning, with the premeditated intent to kill one of our "neighborhood kids". (That would be paranoid.)

What I AM saying is that, somewhere in the Albany Police Department, there is at least one officer who (be it out of fear or lack of training), has shot and killed a dog, who was never a threat to them, nor to anyone else.

I don't know if the officer who shot and killed Remy, was ever disciplined for Remy's murder, nor do I claim to know if discipline would even be the proper follow-up to Amoré's death (perhaps, some awareness training?)

But, one thing that anybody (and everybody) who was blessed enough to have known Amoré, DOES know: Amoré was a good boy.
And, he didn't deserve to die like he did.

Now, I find myself sitting and looking at my puppy Derby (Amoré's sister), and I can't help but to think: My God... They're just babies! Not even out of their "blatantly disproportionate body parts" stage, yet. 

And, Amoré never will be: Because he was shot and killed, playing at one of the safest spots, and safest times of the day, specifically, for dogs to play.
He suffered the equivalent of being gunned down, on the schoolyard, at recess.

After years of experiencing and witnessing events, out here on the Albany Bulb, and then hearing and reading the versions of those events, as recounted by the City of Albany (i.e. Nicole Almaguer, Joanne Wile, Ann Chaney, etc.) I have learned that the "official" story, from "The City of Albany", is not always the true story.

It would be a comfort to anybody whose dogs spend time in Albany, and especially for people who come to Albany's "off-leash dog park", to know that there was some system of accountability for senseless deaths, like those of Amoré and Remy.

My mother's response to the news that Amoré got killed, by a police officer:
"So sorry for the loss of a good friend. Too many stories in the news about frightened/poorly trained cops shooting before thinking. Pets and people are vulnerable to this kind of mistake."
Truer words have seldom been spoken. 

Let's make sure that this doesn't happen again, and that our four-legged family members are less vulnerable than they have been in the past.
At least in Albany, be it on the Bulb, or anywhere else.

Let's work together, as a community of people who love our dogs, and as a community of people, each of whom, would be devastated (as Don, and the rest of Amoré's family, are now) if their little one was shot and killed, while out of sight, just because they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Let's find a way to insure that Albany's Police officers are trained in the proper methods for dealing with all species.

As Amoré's litter mates grow-up to find, and serve, their respective purposes in Life, let's make sure that Amoré's abbreviated Life had purpose, too.

(*If anybody reading this has ever been politely escorted to their destination by Enoch or had Rottie-Bear follow them around, bright-eyed and hoping that someone will throw something for him to fetch, then you have seen other instances of wandering dogs who seem too social to discourage.I am in no way advocating for anybody (regardless of their living situation) to just let their dog roam, without any knowledge of their dog's whereabouts. I am simply pointing out that, much like a Castle made of rubble or a goddess made of trash: the canine accompanists of the Albany Bulb (prior to this past Monday) were yet another, beautifully unique, feature of the Albany Bulb, that seemed to just work.)

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