The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

MORE than two weeks after police allegedly killed several pitbulls at a private residence, Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha said she is still awaiting answers about what happened and why.

Between three and five pitbulls were reportedly killed by police in the Bel Air area earlier this month. Assistant Superintendent of Police Audley Peters told The Tribune at the time that an investigation into the matter was underway but he did not provide an update when contacted yesterday.

“I want this matter to be addressed by the police force,” Mrs Aranha said. “The police don’t have any right to come into my property and destroy my possessions. Being a policeman does not give you free reign to do anything you want to do.

“I know they are the police, but does that give them the right to come into anybody’s yard and shoot their dogs because they are in the way? So they say they went into that yard to go into another yard. I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Mrs Aranha said she has reached out to police over the years numerous times about the need to better train officers about how to deal with dogs.

“I have spoken to them on many occasions,” she said. “I have said that they need to bring in somebody to train their policemen on how to handle the situation if there is a dog in the yard and they take it upon themselves to enter that yard. I have even offered to bring in someone.

“I look at dogs as sentient creatures with feelings and I don’t think they should just be shot because they get in the way. If you put yourself in the other person’s shoes and say, ‘these dogs are my possessions,’ you don’t want them to be harmed.”