Police shot my two dogs dead minutes after they escaped because they were holding up traffic – I’m heartbroken
A DOG owner was devastated after police shot and killed her two pets as they escaped onto a busy road.
Ashley Price paid tribute to her “cute babies” after her pooches were horrifically killed by police officers on the side of the road in Idaho, USA.
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Their beloved dogs, Luna and Boomer, brought traffic to a standstill on Interstate 84 in Heyburn on Monday.
The puppies had escaped their fenced backyard when Ashley was out of town and being cared for by one of her relatives.
The pair, a Great Pyrenees and a Weimaraner, then fatefully sauntered onto the busy street, forcing motorists to dodge them while traffic came to a standstill.
Initially, local police had been called to assess the traffic jam, while drivers risked their own lives trying to grab the dogs.
However, since their attempts were unsuccessful, police officers arrived and found the two large animals at large.
Officers tried whistling and shouting to keep them out of the busy lanes, where drivers can reach speeds of up to 130 km/h, but to no avail.
“Officials realized that there was heavy traffic on Memorial Day and fearing for the motorists and the possibility of an 80 mph rear-end collision, officers decided to shoot the dogs at 6:03 p.m.,” the statement said police .
“Each dog was shot once and removed from the roadway,” the press release said.
Footage of the disturbing incident, which took place in front of horrified motorists, was shared on Facebook by Stephanie Carsner.
The chilling clip shows the moment one of the dogs collapses on the side of the road after being fatally shot by a police officer.
Stephanie described the puppies as “non-aggressive” and claimed she was desperately trying to catch them both, prompting police to ask if she was their owner.
She wrote in one post, “[He]told me to be home and then told me he was going to shoot her.”
“I screamed, ‘No, he’s not, because I’m there as a rescue and I and dozens of others almost had the dogs in their hands.’
The video has since sparked outrage on social media as animal lovers have criticized the police’s handling of the incident.
The owner of the tragic dogs has now broken her silence on the death of her “fur babies” in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
Ashley thanked the brave passers-by who tried to rescue the dogs from the dangerous road.
She wrote, “We are also VERY relieved that there hasn’t been another accident because they were on the road.”
“We just want to clarify a few things. We were out of town and our fur babies were being cared for by relatives.
“We love them and they have been very well taken care of.
“We live in the country and have a fenced in back yard and a large fenced in dog run that they play in every day.”
She explained she checked her pooches on CCTV around 5pm and both are still safe in their kennel.
Ashley said they then fled and reached a neighbor’s house 35 minutes later before Heyburn Police were called at 5.50pm.
The owner continued: “Our babies were shot at 6:03 p.m.
“These are the only facts we currently have. We’ve spoken to the police chief and will come by tomorrow to review the dashboard and body cam videos.”
She urged anyone who has additional footage of the incident to get in touch with us.
Police referenced the release of Stephanie’s video in the press release, saying it illustrates the dangers of stopping on a freeway.
Officials said the incident is still being investigated, but added they knew the clip was difficult to view.
“These circumstances are not easy for first responders and the public,” they added.
But Stephanie hit back, saying she questions the information released by the police and called for the officers to be fired.
She called for “justice for these fur babies” and said an army of outraged locals intended to air their concerns at an upcoming city council meeting after they claimed Mayor Dick Gilbraith ignored their calls.
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