Gunner's parents described him as a "curious little puppy" when he was younger, and "the biggest lovable goofball" once he'd grown up more. At 15 months old, he was his family's pride and joy, alongside his German shepherd sibling Rider.
His family often let their dogs relax in the yard by their house in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They kept the pups
safely fenced in so they wouldn't wander away. But that all changed one day, when some unnamed passersby opened the family's gate for the fun of it. The day ended with Gunner dead - after
police shot the dog directly in his head.Sign the petition to demand justice for poor Gunner!After someone unlatched the gate, Gunner became curious and started to explore the neighborhood. His human parents noticed he was gone and began worrying, looking for him everywhere.
He ended up in the yard of a nearby family, who called the police - in the hopes that officers would helpfully escort Gunner back to his family, safe and sound. But that's not what happened.
Instead, three officers showed up together, all just to address one lost 15-month-old pup. They cornered him in the neighbor's yard, where they incapacitated him using a taser - an electroshock weapon. Gunner ended up laying on the ground, where he did not attempt to harm anyone. In fact, he was wagging his tail!
Then, one cop pulled out his gun. And he shot Gunner with one bullet, right to the head. Gunner died on the scene.
The police have tried to claim they murdered Gunner "as a last resort ... to protect officers and the public from endangerment." They've claimed that the neighbor's children were in the yard, and that Gunner was threatening them.
But none of this is true. How do we know?
After months of resisting,
the department has finally shared bodycam footage from that day. It proves that there were no children around, that Gunner never attacked or acted aggressively towards any officer or other person.
On top of that, the neighbor who called the police has been beside herself with grief. She disputes all of their claims that Gunner was a threat, confirming that her family was never outside. She's provided an eyewitness account that cops killed the dog... just because they could. And not for any legitimate reason. As she wrote on Facebook:
"PLEASEEEE DONT CALL the Lebanon police department on stray animals! I called to help me with this lost pup. And instead of waiting for the humane society they tazed him and [then] shot him ... cold blooded no remorse! Never will I ever call the police for help! I'm literally traumatized and heartbroken."
Despite all this, the city of Lebanon has announced
it has no intentions of investigating the officer who unnecessarily killed Gunner, or his two fellow officers who were present that day.
Instead, it is investigating Gunner's family! Of all the twists this story could take, this is perhaps the most cruel.
Sign the petition to demand that Lebanon, Pennsylvania officials drop their investigation into Gunner's family. They must instead immediately fire the murderous cop who killed an innocent, happy dog for no reason!