Wayland police officer shoots and kills dog that attacked him
WAYLAND - A family dog in Wayland was shot and killed after the animal bit a Wayland police officer who'd been responding to an accidental 911 hang-up at the home.
The family tells WBZ a child watching a video on a smartphone had accidentally activated the emergency call feature. When an officer knocked at the door, there was miscommunication among the family regarding whether or not the dog was in its crate. The dog ran out the front door and investigators say it bit the officer multiple times.
"I heard boom, boom, boom. The dog was down on the ground, dead," the homeowner recalled emotionally.
This Wayland man said he had a leash and a dog treat in hand when he ran out the front door after Blaze, but he was too late. Sadly, this had not been Blaze's first biting incident.
While the less than 2-year-old dog was always gentle with children who lived on Concord Road, he had hurt two strangers before. Following the advice of their vet, the dog was recently neutered, and they had an appointment with a dog trainer who specialized in anxiety.
"She really was hopeful these things would work," the homeowner said tearfully.
The officer was transported to an area hospital by ambulance for treatment for multiple bite wounds. As this is a use of force incident, there will be a complete and thorough investigation, in line with Wayland Police Department policies and procedures.
"This is a very difficult and unfortunate situation," Acting Chief Burman said. "The safety of our officers and community members is of the utmost importance, and anytime an officer has to use force, we take it very seriously. We will investigate this incident to ensure we have the fullest possible understanding of what occurred."