Dog dies after owners were delayed by police officers

A Texas State University student who waited to get a speeding ticket while his girlfriend's dog died in her arms has filed a formal complaint with the San Marcos police over the Aug. 5 incident.

Krystal Hernandez was holding her ailing teacup poodle, Missy, while her boyfriend, Michael Gonzalez, raced south on Interstate 35 — allegedly hitting 95 mph — toward a 24-hour veterinary clinic in New Braunfels.

After their car was pulled over sometime after midnight, the couple said they were kept waiting for 20 minutes by Officer Paul Stephens before he issued the ticket, despite their desperate pleas.

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She said they begged to be allowed to take the dog to the clinic, also asking that they be allowed to turn themselves in to be ticketed or arrested or for Stephens to detain Gonzalez there while she drove the dog to New Braunfels.

Instead, she claims, Stephens responded, “Chill out, it's just a dog, you can buy another one.”
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http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1599922029/bclid1599958072/bctid1731276982 (link to tv news story and officer carcam)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/pets/officers_actions_as_dogwas_dying_anger_driver100.html

They were speeding, but the officer didn't help at all.

That's why.

to sit in his squad car and watch the rushing dog owner cause a massive wreck?

I confess I was speeding two nights ago when I was rushing my little old lady cat to the emergency vet but not by enough to get popped by the cop who zipped in front of me to get me to slow down a little. That was a good cop and I am grateful for the gentle reminder.

They aren't all bad and the cop in this case was right. I am sorry for the dog owners. Losing a beloved pet is horrible under any circumstances.

Instead he chose to act like a sub-human asshole.

That cop is an asshole. He was right to pull them over, but the way he treated them was all wrong. I don't think it should be ignored that the couple was hispanic.

is something that makes you glad? :eyes:

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that line after losing a beloved pet. From bosses, co-workers, friends & family. Heartless.

I hope the officer is punished appropriately. Three months of volunteer service at the local animal shelter would be a good place to start.

he's treat the poor strays? Volunteer service yes, but cleaning the bathrooms at the park, or mowing the park lawns, while in a dark uniform, in that wonderful Texas heat would be much better!

My hope would be that he would see how dogs & cats have incredibly different personalities & therefore one does not simply replace a pet.

I would have no objection to making him clean public restrooms, though!

is plain madness, they are lucky they didn't get themselves or anyone else killed.

you will never see an ambulance driving that fast.

I will treat my babies better than any idiot that doesnt understand that they are prescious to me.

**

your perspective would be different. One seeing eye dog is worth 1000 Dick Cheneys.

it's so sad how many people don't see the power of unconditional loyal love that we get from our pets, and the love that we give them in return. they are missing a wonderful thing, such empty lives they must lead ....

They weren't even going fast enough for a reckless driving ticket.

Odds are if a white woman with big boobs was driving instead of a hispanic couple, the cop would have escorted them to the vet.

If it was a white woman with big boobs she would have been arrested, strip searched in front of every policeman and male inmate they could find, and left naked cuffed to a chair in public for 16 hours or more.

And if she was a black woman with big boobs she'd have gotten all that plus a couple dozen tasings.

If it was a while male in an expensive car there would be a quick warning to slow down and they'd be on their way.

And if a black male we would be having a different conversation about why did that guy resist arrest and force the cop to shoot him dead.

Surely a ticket can be written faster than that.

been created with ice water in their veins.....

the other officer did a lot more than the average person to try to save the dog. There were a whole lot of wrongs on both sides of this one.

:evilgrin: :rofl:

That poor dog. :cry:

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

Irony.

most are not disagreeing with being pulled over for speeding. it was what happened afterwards that is the issue.

:shrug:

if he felt so inclined.

The cop is heartless.

--- My doggies are like children to me (even though I don't value their lives more than humans, they are pretty darn close).

--- If it had been me, I wouldn't mind the cop writing a ticket AFTER we got to the vet.

Put on your flashers, call 911, give your tag number and explain the situation so they can tell the officer why you're not stopping before he tries taking out your tires. Sure, you'll get another ticket for failing to stop, but probably won't get a fleeing and eluding I don't think.

Worst case, the night in jail, but at least the dog is in the best hands available at the emergency clinic.

I also don't see anything wrong with a capable person in a capable car driving 95 mph on the interstate at midnight to save their dog, child, etc.

Cops killed a dog in Tennessee after it got out of the vehicle on a felony stop after the family asked the officer to shut the car door to keep the dog in the car, they didn't it got out and was running around one of the officers literally blew it's head off with a 12 gauge. I'm very sympathetic to the family here, the cop was a dick.

David

Since when is 911 for pet emergencies? How would you feel if your 911 call about a life-threatening emergency involving your child was handled with lower priority than someone's call about a sick cat?

Not about the pet. I'd consider NOT getting shot at to be a 911 call.

just stop the damn car and pull over. It IS all about the pet because the only reason not to pull over instead of clogging up 911 is to get the animal to the vet at breakneck speed.

At least one in four humans has some behavioral defect, and the most common behavioral defect is blunted sense of empathy bordering on sociopathy. Most people cover it reasonably well, or else become republicans and conservatives, but that's one ugly genie they can't ever keep bottled up for long.

Put those kind in a position of authority and they get off on causing pain to other humans. The guy CLEARLY knew there was a reasonable excuse for their speeding and actually had discretion in how to handle the situation.

It's time to put these people in a very harsh light - when they're not delivering public safety, or assisting the public with their emergencies and issues, they literally have NO OTHER USE OR FUNCTION, especially not harrassment, revenue generation, or any other form of intimidation.

BASTARD.

Sure the cop is a cocky butthole to say something like that but come on - 95 miles an hour? They are lucky he wasn't arrested on the spot and his car impounded.

Not to say it would be right but i understand it.

That's what 911 is for.

Only in the absolute rarest circumstance would endangering other people's lives at high speed be the way to go.

For the record, I'm mostly against high speed police chases too, for this very reason. We just this week had a motorcyclist killed when someone else in a high speed chase flipped the stolen car and it landed on the motorcyclist. Car theft is not an adequate crime IMHO to get someone else killed.

**

We had to rush our family dog to the vet late one night. He had been sick for a week or so and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. One night he started having seizures. My boyfriend and I drove my dad and the dog to the emergency vet, and we were flying down the highway. We got lucky because the one cop we saw didn't pull us over, he just followed us for a while until he saw where we were going. Sadly, our baby died and we never figured out what was wrong with him.. but as upset and scared as we were, I do not know what I would have said to a cop if he said the same to me. I do know that it wouldn't have been nice.

RIP Doodles.

After over a year, I still get upset when I think about him. He was my baby and the best dog I could have ever asked for.

as others have said, he should have just had one of them hop into the patrol car, driven them there, and given them the ticket after the poodle was getting help.

it's behavior like this that hurts the social status of police within communities. it turns officer John from the friendly neighborhood officer you turn to for help into the pig you do everything you can to avoid.

Every day I see yet another abuse of power by some arrogant fucking pig.

I hate cops. HATE 'EM.

Give me a reason why I shouldn't.

some people are good
some are bad

some cops are good
some are bad

but anyone with that much authority has to be held to a higher standard.

i hope that asshole cop gets sued, and becomes the target of every neighborhood kid with fantasies of leaving burning dog poop at his doorstep.