TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County deputy shot and killed a dog Saturday near the Gasparilla Parade route.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said a large pit bull tried to attack a mounted unit after the parade. The dog charged at the horses and tried to attack them three times, the sheriff's office said.
The first time the dog tried to bite one of the horses back legs and was barking and growling at the horse, deputies said. A nearby deputy tried to tase the dog but could not reach it without possibly tasing the horse, according to the sheriff's office.
Then the dog ran toward another horse and bit it on the protective covering it had on its leg, deputies said.
The dog let go of the horse's leg and tried to attack the patrol a third time. That's when a deputy who was on another horse shot and killed the dog to keep it from charging the horses again, according to investigators.
The dog weighed about 70 pounds, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
“It is never an easy decision for a deputy to deploy their weapons, especially for a member of our Mounted Unit, deputies who have dedicated their lives to working with animals, to use force against one,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “While it is extremely upsetting that a dog lost its life in this incident, there could have been many more injuries and potential losses had the horse been badly injured, not only to the horse itself but also to the deputy riding him, the crowd of people walking nearby on Bayshore Blvd and the other horses who could have reacted due to their herd mentality. We are extremely thankful that this incident did not end with anymore casualties.”
Deputies said the owner of the dog was nearby and watched the whole thing. The dog's owner did not try to grab the dog while it was charging at the horses, according to investigators.
None of the horses or deputies were seriously hurt during the shooting, the sheriff's office said. The shooting is still under investigation.
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