Free 'Otis', Protest Held for Tasered Dog in Lakewood - WJW

I hope every supporter shows up. If you are from outside the influence of retaliation from Lakewood authorities (it has been suggested by multiple Lakewood citizens that they feel unsafe standing up to their own elected officials), please show up to support:

1. An innocent dog.

2. A guy who made a mistake.(Maybe he has even made more mistakes in his past, but that is all irrelevant to this case. He was never accused of animal abuse, and the Lakewood "Animal Warden" should be.)

3. The rights of citizens to have ethical and responsible authorities who play politics only to benefit the citizens, not their own bigoted agendas.

4. Doing what is right.

5. Ending BSL in Lakewood once and for all.

Thank everyone who has spoken up in support of this dog and against small town, pompous politicians.

Thank you Fox 8 and Dave Nethers for ultimately doing such an amazing job to reveal the truth and make it stick.

What is wrong with these people! Let Otis go home with his owner. Their treating him like a human criminal who went on a killing spree. Give me a break! Let Otis go home where he belongs!!!!!

Please send Otis home to his dad. Just give dad a stern warning to be a little more careful in the future.

If the owner cared that much about his animal he would have had him secured in the first place and this event would never have happened.

This entire controvery is due to ignorance on the part of Lakewood.
There is no training to detect breed or behavior. Nor, is there any common sense.
Let's not forget this is the same city that ripped the beloved terrier from the arms of OUR countries war veteran.
Shame on you Lakewood.

More than 6,000 people have signed a petition regarding saving Otis' life

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-otis-th...

The city of Lakewood what is there to say except RENTAL PROPERTY RENTAL PROPERTY - Low Lifes - It almost makes you feel sorry for the people along the lakefront where once you get past RENTAL PROPERTY life seems ok except you have to share your beach

Taxes are out of this world

Law enforcement think that they are MIAMI VICE or more

Can't take your dog to your local park where you pay the taxes

we won't even go to your own sexual preference where you walk down the street and forced to watch the show offs that want to be noticed like little children who don't know how to go behind closed doors.

Lakewood please explain yourself

Let the dog go
You foulish, scared, uniformed law enforcment so called protection.
I would think by now the City know it really has a law suite comming, everything about this case is UNLAWFUL to the residents of this city and others who think they are above the law

give the dog and the owner a chance

The dog needs to be returned to it's owner.. Any one would act defensive if you were surrounded by people you don't know and were scared. The dog looks nothing like a pitbull and I should know I used to be around both pits and bull dogs. Know the difference before you use it as a defense. Once the dog was down there was no reason to taser it again or drag it across the ground. This is outrages behavior! It is becoming alarming how many taser incidents have occured lately not only in Lakewood but in surrounding areas. The poor dog should not lose it's life because of the owners poor judgement. I think both the dog and owner need a second chance. If this is not granted then the people who decided Otis' fate are cruel and heartless.

WooO! Hopefully Otis will now be able to return home and be safe and happy. Hopefully this will be a lesson for Otis and the owner. Higher fencing!!:)

Well, all charges were dropped, and Otis is being released...provided he never steps foot in Lakewood again. So Lakewood police have essentially chased Kier (and Otis) out of town, rather than admit they made a horrible mistake.

So, bravo for Otis, in that his life was spared, and is probably free at this moment. But, the City of Lakewood now has a dark cloud hanging over it, one where police brutality goes unchecked.

just an update...

19 Action News has learned Kier and the city struck a deal. The city wants Otis out of the city so Kier has a friend in Cleveland willing to take Otis in. Kier plans to eventually move to be with Otis.

In exchange, the charge of having a vicious dog was dropped. However, Kier still faces the other charge of letting a dog run loose. That court hearing is slated for tomorrow.

Sad outcome. The dog is run out of his home because of absolute ignorance. But atleast he was not put down.

Okay the charge of having a dog loose I am okay with. It's unfortunate dogs escape but nonetheless...why was there a vicious dog charge anyways? Ugh these people have no heart. Otis will be better in Cleveland anyways. Not everyone here is a dimwit banning dogs and such. Ohio continues to get worse.

It will be interesting if this dog attacks and kills a young child and is in the news again.

It seems like many ppl care more about the value of a dog than the value of a human life...esp. when it comes to children...there are so many cases of abuse and even death of children by the hands of adult's and often their own parent's and hardly anyone stands up in protest of that.

I 100% agree with the police officer's decision to taser Otis. Viscious dogs should not be allowed to run around lose free to attack anyone/thing. Something needs to be done about this---owners need to take responsibility for these viscious dogs.
About 6 weeks ago I was walking on the all purpose trail in the South Chagrin Reservation of the metro parks with my then 4 month old twins and my yellow lab. Out of no where a "boxer mix" came running out of her property and attacked my dog. She was mauled and it was the most horrific sight I have ever seen. That dog was uncontrollable and her owner could barely get her off my dog. Subsequently my dog had to have surgery and was in the hospital. Now I am stuck with more than $2,000.00 in vet bills. Of course the owner has "no" money to pay. Regardless, dogs like this can't be trusted, you just don't know when they are going to turn and maybe next time it won't be another dog but a child or an adult. I think that Daniel Kier no right harboring a dog like this especially since he has been charged for this same type of thing in the past.

Sweet Sue Ohio wrote:

Please send Otis home to his dad. Just give dad a stern warning to be a little more careful in the future.

So that next time he can attack a person or another animal. See my post.

Debbie L wrote:

I 100% agree with the police officer's decision to taser Otis. Viscious dogs should not be allowed to run around lose free to attack anyone/thing. Something needs to be done about this---owners need to take responsibility for these viscious dogs.
About 6 weeks ago I was walking on the all purpose trail in the South Chagrin Reservation of the metro parks with my then 4 month old twins and my yellow lab. Out of no where a "boxer mix" came running out of her property and attacked my dog. She was mauled and it was the most horrific sight I have ever seen. That dog was uncontrollable and her owner could barely get her off my dog. Subsequently my dog had to have surgery and was in the hospital. Now I am stuck with more than $2,000.00 in vet bills. Of course the owner has "no" money to pay. Regardless, dogs like this can't be trusted, you just don't know when they are going to turn and maybe next time it won't be another dog but a child or an adult. I think that Daniel Kier no right harboring a dog like this especially since he has been charged for this same type of thing in the past.

I feel very sorry for you and your dog. I hope your dog recovers fully. What a horrible ordeal that must have been for both of you. The owner of the dog should pay for your vet bills. You might have to get a lawyer. Their home insurance should cover it. The dog that attacted your dog needs to be trained correctly along with his owner! Please don't judge all dogs by this one incident. Not all dogs of this breed is like that. Don't be prejudice of a certain breed. It is all in how they (and their owners) are trained. Any breed dog could attack if not trained properly. I had a yellow lab once who could have done the same thing. I had to train him not too. And socialize him properly. And you have a yellow lab. I'm sure is very sweet. So was mine after training. You see, any breed can be vicious. I was once attacked by a Westie. Granted it is small and easier to control. However it did bite and acted very vicious. Otis had plenty of opportunity to attack. He did not. He was not acting vicious. The vicious dog breed law is a joke.(I'm not laughing) Any dog can be vicious!!

Did you WATCH the video? Assuming your attack story is true and factual (doesn't really sound like it rings true ... where are the news reports of the incident?), the dog who presumably attacked your dog must have acted entirely differently than Otis.
Otis' was doing exactly what you would do, if a gang of humans giving off extremely strong negative and threatening energy approached you in a menacing way. The only ones "menacingly growling" in this story were the cops and the deranged "Animal Warden".
There is no need to use quotes around "boxer mix". Just say what you mean. In your expert opinion, the dog was a "Pit Bull". Why hold back? Make yourself sound entirely ignorant.
I rescue dogs from people like Lakewood's "Animal Warden", and, you are absolutely correct that people like that need to be dealt with. They need to be prevented from working with, or being responsible for, any animal.
People who breed dogs to sell on the streets need to be stopped. Puppy mills need to be stopped, so there are homes for strays.
Educate yourself and join the fight to rescue dogs being abused and neglected. You don't have to take a dog home to help. You can get petitions signed, go to protests, spread the word. All you have to do to help is talk to other people, but WAIT, until you have some facts behind you.
"Boxer mixes" are not the problem. People who misues and misunderstand dogs are the problem (which makes you part of it).
Go do some research. You have no excuse to remain ignorant. You have a PC at your fingertips (apparently).
The story of Otis and the dog you claimed attacked your Lab are unrelated, and, if you were educated on this topic, you would have realized that.
(If, in fact, your story is true, I deeply regret that you, your dog, and your children had that experience. I am sure it was terrifying and clearly traumatic for your dog. If s/he has lasting trauma, I hope you will pursue help with a qualified Behaviorist or Veterinarian with those skills. By exaggerating or holding onto your own trauma around it and reacting with fear around other dogs when you have yours on leash, you can actually cause your dog many more issues.)
I wish you the best of luck and hope you will make the effort to further investigate this issue.
Only education and responsible action, which the officials of Lakewood have neither of, will the public safety aspect of this issue be positively impacted.

Debbie L wrote:

I 100% agree with the police officer's decision to taser Otis. Viscious dogs should not be allowed to run around lose free to attack anyone/thing. Something needs to be done about this---owners need to take responsibility for these viscious dogs.
About 6 weeks ago I was walking on the all purpose trail in the South Chagrin Reservation of the metro parks with my then 4 month old twins and my yellow lab. Out of no where a "boxer mix" came running out of her property and attacked my dog. She was mauled and it was the most horrific sight I have ever seen. That dog was uncontrollable and her owner could barely get her off my dog. Subsequently my dog had to have surgery and was in the hospital. Now I am stuck with more than $2,000.00 in vet bills. Of course the owner has "no" money to pay. Regardless, dogs like this can't be trusted, you just don't know when they are going to turn and maybe next time it won't be another dog but a child or an adult. I think that Daniel Kier no right harboring a dog like this especially since he has been charged for this same type of thing in the past.

What a lot of people following this issue care about, in addition to a life (regardless of whether it belongs to a dog or a human, it is a life), is: misjustice; crooked public officials; a police force acting as if it is beyond scrutiny; an entire community of veterinarians who all admit to knowing BSL is bullshit legislation but who are afraid to speak up to their own elected officials to tell them).

Are you getting any of this? It's not entirely about the dog! It is about the age-old struggle between the powerful and the unorganized majority. As long as the animal welfare individuals continue to speak up only as individuals, they will win.

The same battle is playing out on a national scale, constantly. Politicians, generally speaking, have agendas of their own, usually related to the desires of the people lining their pockets.

If you doubt me, go back and read more of the posts. The officials have been called: racists, bigots, liars, and accused of retaliating against members of the public who stand up to them. THERE is the essence of this story.

JBD612 wrote:

It will be interesting if this dog attacks and kills a young child and is in the news again.
It seems like many ppl care more about the value of a dog than the value of a human life...esp. when it comes to children...there are so many cases of abuse and even death of children by the hands of adult's and often their own parent's and hardly anyone stands up in protest of that.