“Why did I deserve to die?”: The Realities of Animal Cruelty2 min read

If you’ve ever had a family pet, then I’m sure you’ll understand how deeply they affect our lives. I have three pets of my own, imagining my life without them is out of the question. So, having to hear the words “dog”, “shot”, and “killed” within the same sentence or phrasing is extremely heart breaking.
On Thursday March 16th, a trainee bomb-detection dog named Grizz was shot in the field space of the Auckland Airport. Something had spooked the poor puppy, causing him to flee from airport staff. For almost three hours they worked to calm Grizz, capture the dog, and get him off the tarmac. This incident caused around 16 flight delays as airport staff didn’t want to risk passenger safety and take off while Grizz was still out there. So, how did they catch him and get the flights out? They shot Grizz.
What. The. Hell.
Grizz’s death is unjustifiable and quite a few people are just as upset about it as I am. Popular TV figure Hilary Barry, a host on TVNZ’s Breakfast program, addressed the situation heatedly asking where the tranquilizer gun was and why staff resolved to just shoot the dog instead. I agree with her, where was the tranquilizer gun? Why wasn’t it used? There is honestly, no justification for shooting a dog. Especially one who participates in a critical role to airport security, like Grizz did.
Even people on Twitter are comparing Grizz’s death to the controversial death of Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, who was also killed instead of sedated and subdued. The outrage behind these unjustified animal deaths is unreal, this also goes to show that more needs to be done to avoid unnecessary killing of animals.
Further investigation is being conducted to find out what exactly scared Grizz so much, on this same thought they should create a new procedure and strategy plan to avoid the shooting of more security animals. My suggestion, a tranquilizer gun and detailed catching strategy should be put into action. This way, there will be no need for staff and police to have to even consider killing another innocent animal.
This is a sad, and unfortunate event that took place. My heart goes out to Grizz’s handler, and others involved in his life. Losing a dog, even a working service dog, is just like losing a family member.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/17/uproar-as-bomb-detection-dog-grizz-shot-dead-on-tarmac-at-auckland-airport
(Image sourced from Guardian Article)
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/runaway-aviation-security-dog-shot-dead-by-police-after-holding-up-flights-at-auckland-airport/news-story/fff835030ded0e47e198cc2cdc9a8156