

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





Police have confirmed that an animal that was shot and killed Monday night in Collingwood was in fact a dog and not a coyote.

Ontario Provincial Police were heavily criticized Monday after a video surfaced showing a police vehicle running over the animal, continuing down the street, turning around and running over the animal again.

In a second clip, a police cruiser is seen and a single gunshot can be heard.

Resident Kelly O'Neil told CTV News Tuesday that the officer appeared to nudge the animal with its front bumper in an attempt to coax it away, before running it over.

"It just kept hanging around the vehicle and was not afraid of it at all," O'Neil said.

Police were first called to the scene by someone who reported seeing a large coyote in the area of Seventh Street, between Walnut and Oak streets, sometime around 9:30 p.m.

In a news release issued Tuesday, police said that “for the safety of the community, police had to put down this animal.”

But a resident in the area told CTV News he believed the animal that was crushed and shot was his aging, blind and deaf dog. On Wednesday, the man confirmed it was his dog that was killed.

The OPP said Wednesday they have contacted the dog’s owner and are continuing to investigate what happened.

"I think running her over was maybe a little inhumane," the dog's owner, identified only as Scott, told CTV News on Tuesday.

Residents on the street are now demanding answers saying they are outraged with what they perceive to be animal cruelty.

Video ‘disturbing,’ former OPP commissioner says

The former head of the province’s police force described video capturing the incident as ‘disturbing’ late Wednesday afternoon.

“I can see why the general public is concerned when they see that,” Chris Lewis, former OPP commissioner, said in an interview with CP24.

“I certainly am not aware of any time we have had to use a vehicle to kill an animal – justified of course. It was kind of a bizarre way to deal with (the dog).”

Lewis added that he did not know all the circumstances that led police to make the decision to kill the animal – including how the dog was behaving and what, if any, threat the animal posed to people in the area at the time.

“There are a lot of unknowns there," he said.

“But certainly at face value it appears shocking and concerning.”