{"id":343265,"date":"2025-12-14T05:36:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T05:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/police-officer-shot-and-killed-a-dog-in-wheat-ridge-colorado\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T05:36:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T05:36:25","slug":"police-officer-shot-and-killed-a-dog-in-wheat-ridge-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=343265","title":{"rendered":"Police Officer Shot and Killed a Dog in Wheat Ridge Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Monday, September 1, 2025, around 9:45 am, an officer from the Wheat Ridge Police Department in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, shot and killed a pet dog. That dog\u2019s name was Boss. He lived near a highway exit with his owner, Dave, who is experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

I learned about the case on Friday, September 5, 2025, from my veterinarian, who provided veterinary care for Boss.<\/p>\n

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I looked into the case because Boss\u2019s life matters. He lived and died in my community, and that matters to me on both small and big scales. Unfortunately, Boss is a painful example of something that\u2019s shockingly common. Police shoot and often kill dogs more frequently than you might think.<\/p>\n

So, in Boss\u2019s memory and to tell a story that, so far, no other local media has covered, I\u2019m writing about some really difficult things. This is long, but I hope you will read it and share it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Boss\u2019s Back Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dave found him abandoned, tied to a bike rack in the rain at a gas station. He stayed with Boss for 3 days outside that gas station in Arizona where he\u2019d been living for several months \u2014 even though he\u2019d planned to move on the day Boss showed up and even though a worker at the gas station had called animal control. Dave believes Boss would have been euthanized, rather than adopted, if he\u2019d been picked up by animal control.<\/p>\n

He fed Boss with food he found in the trash. When Dave finally unhooked the leash after earning his trust, Boss ran right at him, playfully.<\/p>\n

Dave says, \u201cI told him that he could be part of my family if he chose to, but that his people had ditched him\u2026 On that third day, he came up and gave me a hug, randomly. I gave him the choice, and he took it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dave and Boss were together pretty much 24\/7 after that. They lived together for 3 years, including most recently here in Colorado for a couple of years.<\/p>\n

Obviously, Boss\u2019s death has been devastating for Dave. I\u2019m sure that everything now feels utterly impossible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Everyone at the veterinary clinic felt shocked and heartbroken by the news, too. Every patient is important. Every single patient is loved by their people (and often by the veterinary team). They, and others who knew Boss, told me that Dave probably took better care of Boss than he does of himself.<\/p>\n

Tough Story to Tell<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I could approach this story in many different ways, and I may end up writing several articles, with additional context or possible rants, including about how different dogs and different people get treated. (I am a dog attack survivor myself<\/a> who has been chased and threatened by loose dogs many times in our rural \/ mountain community.)<\/p>\n

For now, though, let\u2019s look at some of the information I gathered from:<\/strong><\/p>\n