Boulder police shoot dog attacking owner, Colorado officer after taser fails to subdue animal

Police in Boulder have released more details about the dog attack on Sunday that left its owner in critical condition. Officers rushed to the neighborhood in the 3200 block of Palo Parkway just after 8 a.m. on Sunday on reports of a dog attacking a man outside of a home. 

According to the investigation, the attack started inside the home before making its way outside. The man, later identified as the dog's owner, was trying to hold onto the dog so it would not attack anyone else. 

A neighbor stabbed the dog twice with kitchen knives before officers arrived, but the dog, named Dutch, kept biting the man. 

When officers arrived, they tried to use a Taser to subdue the animal but that's when the dog turned and began attacking the officer. That officer discharged his firearm and struck the dog several times. 

That's when officers began giving medical treatment to the victim, putting tourniquets on his arms that doctors later said saved his life. 

Just a minute later, the dog got up and charged at the officers a second time before the animal was shot again. Boulder Police Department Animal Protection officers arrived and euthanized the dog with an injection due to the severity of the animal's injuries. The dog's body has been transported to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for a necropsy to rule out rabies, a brain tumor, accidental toxin ingestion and other possible environmental causes for the attack.

The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He was listed in stable condition on Monday. 

"This was a disturbing event for everyone involved and the mauling could have truly been much worse if not for our officer's swift actions," interim Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a statement. "Though we all love our animals here in Boulder, this dog posed a life-threatening risk to the man he was actively attacking as well as the multiple community members nearby, and we ultimately had to protect those lives first."

Neighbors were shocked by what happened. 

"I grew up in this area and I feel like I'm super safe here in general. And to have anything kind of shatter that illusion is a new experience for me," said neighbor Katie Miller.