Sixth Circuit court: Police can shoot dogs for nothing more than barking

In a ruling released Monday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found Battle Creek, Mich. police officers were justified in shooting two pit bulls while executing a search warrant for drugs on the home of Mark and Cheryl Brown in 2013. The Brown’s sued the police department in 2015, arguing the killing of their dogs violated their constitutional rights.

The ruling creates a similar legal standard in the Sixth Circuit—which includes Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee—that several other federal appeals courts have established, but it also appears to expand when it is acceptable for an officer to shoot a dog.

After breaking through the Brown’s door, one Battle Creek officer testified that the first dog “had only moved a few inches” toward him before he shot it. The second dog ran into the basement.