Care2 – by Susan BirdThis is how a simple traffic stop turns to tragedy.
If you’re a dog lover, this story will make your blood boil and will break your heart. In fact, you merely need to be a decent human being to be outraged.
According to Houston, Texas, resident Josie Garcia, her husband and a friend were out in their truck on Sunday, July 13, when the police pulled them over for failing to use a turn signal. With the men in the truck was the Garcia family dog, little Guero.
Guero, a 14-year-old white Chihuahua, suffered from cataracts and was nearly blind. He always accompanied Garcia when he tooled around town.
Upon conducting a search of the truck, the officer reportedly found a controlled substance belonging to the man riding with Garcia. He took both men into custody and arranged a tow truck to move the vehicle. What he reportedly did not do was make any arrangements for taking care of the dog.
“My husband pleaded with the officer to let him call someone to come get Guero, and asked him to call [the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC)], but he said it wasn’t his problem, that the dog would be fine,” Garcia told KTRK.
Just like that, Garcia was hauled away in a police car, forced to watch as the cop and the tow truck abandoned his little blind dog by a busy road. To see a Houston TV news report that includes video showing the location where Guero was left, click here.
As it turns out, the scene of this arrest was literally two blocks away from the BARC facility. Getting animal control to the scene or dropping the dog off at BARC would have been easy and quick. Despite this, the police officer apparently did nothing and left Guero to fend for himself.
Imagine the poor dog’s confusion at this moment. His human, obviously distressed, is driven away by a stranger in a car while the familiar family truck is towed away – and then everyone is just gone. There Guero must have sat, alone by the road, listening to the roar of traffic, paralyzed with fear, wondering when someone was coming back for him.
The Search for Guero Ends in Heartbreak
When Garcia finally reached his wife, Josie, that Sunday, she began peppering the area with “lost dog” fliers. Here’s one captured by a Twitter user. We’ve redacted the Garcias’ phone number for privacy purposes:
From Sunday to Tuesday, there was no news. On Tuesday, a caller told Josie Garcia that he’d seen Guero walking on a traffic ramp and had tried to grab him. Unfortunately, rush hour traffic prevented him from successfully rescuing the dog. Josie rushed to the location, only to find her dog’s dead body on the shoulder of the highway about a half mile from where he’d been left.
Guero had been struck and killed by a car. Josie wrapped his tiny, crumpled body in a towel and took him home to bury him.
“I felt so much pain like I never knew I had,” Josie Garcia told KTRK.
Officials dropped all charges against Garcia, by the way. In the end, he did nothing wrong except fail to use that turn signal, but now his beloved dog is dead.
An Apology From Houston‘s Mayor is Not Enough
Devastated, Josie Garcia appeared before the Houston City Council on July 22. She spent her allotted three minutes telling her story. You can watch video of her statement and the reaction of the mayor and council members at this link. Fast forward through the public comment session to 105:32.
“Let me give you a public apology right now on behalf of the city of Houston,” Mayor Annise Parker immediately responded. “I don’t know what airhead — there’s another word in my mind but I’m not going to say it — would throw, you wouldn’t put a kid on the side of the road. You shouldn’t put someone’s pet on the side of the road.”
Reportedly, the mayor and city council members now are wondering whether Houston has a clear policy regarding the proper handling of pets involved in law enforcement situations. If they don’t have such a policy, they clearly need one.
The Garcias have filed a complaint with the Houston Police Department (HPD). HPD says its internal investigation into this incident may take up to six months to resolve. Whoa – stop the clock. Six months?
Craig Malisow of the Houston Press took the city to task in a blog post on July 29, 2014. Excerpts from that post hit the nail on the head:
We can understand why a complex case with multiple witnesses with conflicting stories might be a real quagmire of a case, but, really, to say it could take 180 days to determine whether an “airhead” (to quote Mayor Parker during the public input session) left a freaking dog on the side of the road is a bit of a stretch.
We don’t understand why a complaint as odd as this is allowed to remain unresolved for more than 72 hours. Either Garcia is withholding part of the story, or just fabricating it outright, or this police officer acted irresponsibly. Call us selfish, but we think the public — if not Garcia and her husband — deserves a timely answer.
Forcing someone to abandon a helpless pet by the road is inexcusable conduct. That a law enforcement official is reportedly to blame for making Garcia do such a heartbreaking thing is outrageous.
If you agree, please sign this petition. Care2 will ensure it gets to Mayor Parker as well as Houston’s Chief of Police and its City Council. It asks them to ensure there’s an appropriate disciplinary outcome to this investigation, and to ensure there is a mandatory protocol for handling a situation like this so it never happens again.
Poor little Guero. We’re sorry, buddy. You didn’t deserve this.
Texas is just as big a $HIT HOLE of a Police state as even CALIFORNIA. People bash California for all the communists in all the governments here, but it is CLEAR that California does not have a monopoly on this disease called a Socialist Militarized Police State.
For as much as I love Texas, you are right…Texas can be a bitch in some respects…but I gotta say if this crap was pulled out here in Big Bend country that cop would be facing a world of hurt if some rancher’s or permanent resident’s dog was done that way. But yep, large Texas cities and surrounding suburbs can be just as police state as any place in California (which is why I live in Texas where I live).
Please sign the petition. Maybe we can get that lousy piece of crap fired! And yet they wonder why the police get no respect! How about – They don’t deserve any!
Cant say what I want on here because it wont get published ,, its a bunch of name calling and 4 letter words
all of them directed at the pig
Love all animals and this was done on purpose , someone should tie that cop to a leash , just long enough to make it to the shoulder of the road (barely) and let him dodge traffic all day .oh and make sure its over 90 degrees
maybe the entire world will get as lucky as this dogs ill chances were
Quote from VRF- Cant say what I want on here because it wont get published ,, its a bunch of name calling and 4 letter words all of them directed at the pig
I’m with you bro/sis
insanity
Its Bro 😉
It is insane ..Ive had it up to here with these pigs..
Digger never missed a beat with these bastards .. and rightfully so
RIP Digger Dan
There is a day of reckoning coming. I just can’t imagine how anyone can be so cruel to an innocent animal who only shows love and affection.
This is blatant animal cruelty, period! If you or I would do this to a dog, we would be prosecuted for cruelty to animals!
This scum of a human being needs to be prosecuted. Do they deliberately hire sadistic pieces of crap such as this officer? It would have only taken the officer a few moments to notify the humane society.
Who knows? Maybe karma happens and that dastardly cop gets bitten and beat up by one of Guero’s compatriots….let’s say the neighborhood Fila Brasilera, a Brazilian dog breed that was bred to hunt HUMANS (runaway slaves, originally). Okay, okay…rottweiller or doberman or your garden variety pit bull.
Where the heck was “animal cops Houston” during all of this? Thought there were laws in Houston against animal abandonment enforced by the same “cops” as did the evil deed. Hmmmmm. Double standard?
This is a tragic end for an innocent and practically helpless dog. That cop may have been trained by Israelis… they treat human beings worse than this poor pet. Stay tuned, they’re importing that shit here.
I think fault and irresponsibility lies with both parties.
First for the cop who acted inhumanly toward the dog and not taking the responsibility for getting it to a safe location; and second for the irresponsible pet owner who hasn’t the foresight to figure out that if his friend gets busted for a controlled substance riding in his car, and they get stopped, they’re all going to jail thus placing the life of the pet (or for that matter it could have been children) in danger.
What the “F” are people thinking these days?
I swear, no critical thinking at all!!! Hello? Is anybody in there??
http://youtu.be/P_4uEaZQ2Kg
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Not sure why, but your video didn’t come through. Here it is:
Thanks Angel. I wonder why that happens sometimes. I used the link under the “share”. Is that the right one?
Numerology: Security Question is 13 + 13 … 😯
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I always copy/paste the entire link (not “share”) into the “Comment” and make sure that it is not part of a continued sentence. 😉
Thanks for the tip Angel. I’ll remember that. 😉
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Yes Angel-NYC, your hired! 🙂
“People are dumb. We got some dumb a$$ mofo’s in this country…….” (George Carlin)
A fantasy…
All dog killing cops get hauled off to some remote spot in the mountains, 100 miles from the nearest shred of civilization, shot in both ankles, then bandaged up (so they don’t bleed out – too kind). Then douse them liberally with pigs blood, and scatter plenty around the immediate area.
For added insurance, tie a goat with a bell around its neck to a nearby tree.
Then watch from a distance, in a blind up in a tree with a good view.
Probably go viral on YouTube.
As I said, just a fantasy.
A good one, though.
Hey #1, I believe “deer cam” could catch the action quite nicely. I’m drooling at the thought already!
Might have seen it once in a movie…
or not.
I see so many. 😉
# 1 NWO Hatr , You are truly a man (woman) ?? after my own heart, however being, not only an animal lover, but I also have a rescue Chihuahua that is like my child and that I would defend with my life, I feel that in this case your kindness abounds.
100% American male.
ROFL
Swifty, #1 NWO Hatr is Definitely a Male. LOL It is sometimes hard to tell, from people’s “Handles.” I remember, years ago, when I thought “Sunfire” was a Female and “RT Hawk” was a Male…WRONG
😳
LOL 🙂 😉
Totally agree with your statement, though. 🙂
Sent you an email, Angel. Just so you know.
Thank you. 🙂
I need to text RT, Angel. Haven’t heard anything from her since digger.
Neither have I. Hope all’s well.
I’m the same way with my dogs, Swifty. I treat them like my own kids. If someone does something to them, there will be hell to pay.
Agreed.
Sorry # 1 NWO Hatr I was pretty sure you were a guy but over the yrs I have become rather accomplished at putting my foot in my mouth so I thought I would play it safe.
No problem, Swifty.
Must admit though, it’s the first time I can recall anyone actually asking. LOL
Swifty,
I’ve become pretty good at that too. LOL
I’m guessing you’re a Guy… ? 😆
For the record, I’m a Girl (Old nickname, not Hispanic Male name). 🙂 LOL 😉
DL, EE, and Enbe, too. 😉
ROFL
Thanks for the “Heads Up.” I didn’t know. 😆
BTW-Do you mean “Guys” or “Gals” ?
Gals. 🙂
I was referring to the last line in your comment.
I figured that. LOL Just wanted to make sure. 😆
Dot, too. 🙂
LOL, I think it’s entitled “Guys and Dolls”! 😆