Albany Bulb Dog Fatally Shot by Albany Police

Two Albany Police officers shot and killed a dog who lunged at the officers and bit one on the arm at the Albany Bulb this morning, a city spokeswoman said.

City Clerk Nicole Almaguer, who serves at the city's public information officer, provided this account in an email response to a query from Patch:

"At about 8:00 AM today (October 28, 2013) two Albany police officers were patrolling on foot at the Waterfront Park when they were confronted by two apparently vicious dogs on a trail at the south end of the Bulb.  Although no persons were seen in the immediate area, the officers called out directions to anyone that might have been nearby to take control of the dogs, while simultaneously backing away from the dogs. 

"Both dogs moved to attack the officers, with one dog managing to get a bite on one of the officer’s arms. Both officers discharged their sidearms, critically injuring one of the dogs - the second dog then ran away. The person responsible for the dog was not present; however he has been identified and police are attempting to contact him about the incident. The dog’s remains were collected by Berkeley Animal Control."

Almaguer did not indicate if the bitten officer's skin was broken or if the officer required medical treatment. Patch has asked also for this information. 

The dog was named Amore, belonged to a Bulb resident and was 15 months old, according to Bulb resident Amber Whitson.

The shooting was reported also on the Facebook page of the non-profit animal care group, Paw Fund, in a post by the group's founder, Jill Posener:

"It is with incredible sadness that I'm writing about AMORE, a young dog just 15 months old, who was shot and killed by Albany Police Department this morning. This is a tragic and painful incident for everyone involved."

Whitson said she found it "hard to believe Amoré would have seemed like he was about to attack an officer. He has no known issues with police."

"Amoré was a good sweet, friendly boy," Whitson said in an email. "He had no history of aggression towards people."

At the same time, Whitson said, "many of us out there have been on Amore's owner for quite some some time now, to please get him neutered and get him the rest of the way legal and to keep a better eye on him."

Albany police have been issuing warnings and making preparations to implement a series of recent City Council decisions to clear the longstanding illegal encampments from the Bulb so that it can become part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. An estimated 50-60 or so people live in makeshift shelters and tents on the Bulb. Many of the Bulb dwellers have dogs.

Posener, who has close contact with Bulb inhabitants through her organization's work in helping low-income people with pets obtain veterinary care and vaccinations, stressed in her Facebook post that Bulb residents have been urged not to let their dogs run loose.

"AMORE was a pretty solid pup, good with other dogs and never, till this morning, aggressive with people," she wrote. "But the reality is that he was allowed to run loose without his owner supervising him, and if we've had this conversation once we'd had it a thousand times. We advised everyone to keep their dogs contained, keep them tethered, kennelled, close by them - especially now during the run up to the eviction from the Bulb." 

Posener told Patch that Amore was probably a mix of pit bull, retriever and shepherd. Whitson said he "had strong Rhodesian Ridgeback blood in him."

Posener said: "The dog was a very, very beautiful dog and to my knowledge has never shown aggression. He's a very, very loved dog. ... People who visit the Bulb with their dogs know him very, very well. And there's a huge amount of sorrow in the community tonight."

Whitson said, "He was tremendously loved, and we all miss him. I have been crying off and on all day, about it." 

Published Oct. 28, 2013, 10 p.m., updated 10:52 p.m.