Texas police getting trained not to shoot friendly dogs

American police have a nasty habit of shooting people's dogs, a habit that the city of Austin, Texas hopes can be corrected through training.

According to the Austin American Statesman the problem is that a lot of officers don't know the difference between a dog that is coming to attack them, and one that is merely curious or want to play.

Canine instructor Jim Osorio hopes to correct this problem with his first thirty students, hopefully avoiding further pet fatalities.

“It has opened their eyes,” Leander Police Chief Greg Minton said of his officers who have gone through the training. He mandated it after one of his officers shot and wounded Vinny, a German shepherd therapy dog, in June 2013 while trying to serve a warrant at the wrong address.

“I would like people to understand that we don’t have a thorough understanding of dogs,” Minton continued. “We’re trained to deal with violent and aggressive people.”

While Osorio does teach hand-to-paw combat for when things get rough, he believes dogs are mostly much easier to defuse with a squeaky toy and dog treats.