Your Government Murdered a Blind, Deaf Dog

 On May 19, 2024, a 13-pound blind and deaf Shih Tzu named Teddy wandered out of his yard in Sturgeon, Missouri and into a neighbor's yard. A neighbor called police — not to report a dangerous animal, but because the little dog appeared lost and confused. Officer Myron Woodson arrived, attempted to lasso Teddy with a catch pole, and when the dog simply shook the rope off his head and trotted away, Woodson shot and killed him. Body camera footage obtained by local news showed Teddy never growled, never barked, and never made any aggressive move toward the officer. The city of Sturgeon went on Facebook the next day and defended the shooting, claiming the officer feared rabies because of the dog's erratic behavior — behavior that was, in fact, the entirely predictable result of being a blind and deaf elderly dog in an unfamiliar yard. The city never mentioned that Sturgeon had a catch pole policy precisely for situations like this, that the officer had been given zero training on how to use it, and that the city had a contract with Boone County for animal control assistance that was never called upon. Nicholas Hunter, Teddy's owner, filed a federal lawsuit alleging Fourth Amendment violations. In January 2026, the City of Sturgeon agreed to pay $500,000 to settle — one of the largest settlements ever recorded for the police killing of a pet.

Commentary: The officer was so afraid of a blind, deaf, 13-pound dog that his only option was to shoot it — and the city's first instinct was to get on Facebook and tell everyone it was basically the dog's fault for not having a collar. To their credit, they eventually paid half a million dollars to make it go away, which is the government's way of admitting wrongdoing without technically admitting wrongdoing.

📰 https://reason.com/2025/11/17/missouri-town-will-pay-500k-to-settle-lawsuit-over-deputy-shooting-blind-and-deaf-dog/

⚠️ This content was researched and written with AI assistance and may be fully AI-generated. All facts are sourced from the linked article and corroborating reporting from the Animal Legal Defense Fund and ABC 17.