IMPD officer kills aggressive pit bull

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Police responded to at least seven different complaints about vicious dogs Thursday. In one case, police say they were forced to kill the dog when a stun gun failed to stop the dog's attack.

Protecting pets and people from vicious dogs has been an ongoing challenge in the Circle City. And if the last couple of weeks are any indication, the city has seen little improvement.

Mary Meadors sat beside the blanket-covered body of her dead pit bull. Police shot him after their stun gun failed to stop him from mauling another dog. But Mary insists her pet was misunderstood.

"He wasn't being aggressive at all. Yeah, he got into a fight. He got blood on him. He might have looked aggressive," said Meadors.

And he sounded aggressive. Dogs can be heard barking in the background as Meadors called 911.

She's heard screaming, "No, Oh my God, please! All my dogs are fighting!"

Neighbors say they saw the dogs roaming the neighborhood minutes before police shot one of them.

"Three of the dogs were bloody. One of the dogs tried to attack a lady that was standing down here. She had to jump up on a neighbor's car," said Mike Burghy, Meadors' neighbor.

This incident is one of at least seven vicious dog complaints police received Thursday.

Asked if IMPD officers would like to see more support from Animal Care and Control, IMPD Lieutenant Jeff Duhamell responded, "Well I think we’re going to get it. They're doing the best they can."

There's no question that Animal Care and Control has had its share of controversy. Reports of abuse at the shelter led to the hiring of shelter chief Douglas Rae last January.

Rae was fired 10 months later amid complaints of an increase in stray vicious dogs on Indy's streets, a problem police say continues. Last week, as a young man took out trash, he was attacked by his neighbor's pit bull. And police say the number of dog attacks increases as the weather warms.

The new head of Animal Care and Control confirms she's in the process of hiring a couple more animal control officers. But she says the only way to curb the number of vicious dogs is to encourage responsible pet ownership.

Friday, 24-Hour News 8 anchor Deanna Dewberry talks to interim shelter director, Teri Kendrick about the problem and what's being done about it.