Family dog was shot and killed by deputies who went to wrong home for domestic violence call

Buddy didn’t even have a chance to bark before a deputy in Hesperia drew a handgun and shot the dog, killing him.

The deputies then realized they had gone to the wrong home in response to a domestic disturbance call.

But the damage was done, and it was too late.

Debra Blackmore’s beloved family dog was dead.

“Buddy didn't have a chance to bark,” she wrote on Facebook. “They shot him with their 45… The Sargent in charge said they went to the wrong house and sorry.”

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, a citizen reported a domestic disturbance at his next-door neighbor’s home about 12:34 p.m. Monday.

Deputies went to the 7300 block of Redwood Avenue, approached the home and “rattled the fence to alert any animals on the property,” the sheriff’s department said.

It appeared that there were no animals, so deputies entered the gate.

That’s when two small dogs ran into the yard, then Buddy followed them.

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Sheriff’s officials said Buddy, a larger Husky-Labrador mix, “was immediately aggressive toward the deputies.” They thought Buddy was going to attack, so one of the deputies shot him, the sheriff’s department said.

When a man then came out of the house and talked to the deputies, they realized they had gone to the wrong home. According to the sheriff’s department, the man declined to allow animal control to transport the dog for medical aid.

“The department and the officers involved in this unfortunate situation all recognize the emotional impact the loss of a family pet has on this family and we extend our deepest sympathies,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. “The officers involved in this incident feel terrible about what occurred but felt they had no other reasonable option at the time.”

Animal control officers determined that Buddy needed to see a veterinarian, but Blackmore said said her family couldn’t afford it.

So Buddy bled to death, she said.

Capt. Greg Wielenga of the Hesperia sheriff’s station has offered to help Blackmore and her family with “whatever steps.”

But at this point, Blackmore said, she just wants people to “know how wrong this was.”

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