Utah pit bull owner wants cops to pay vet bill for shooting pet

Pit bull owner Nova Guymon is getting her dog back from the veterinary hospital today, and she’s determined to make police pay the $3,200 bill.

“You don’t come onto a dog’s property and shoot it,” Guymon, a 46-year-old United Parcel Service employee, told the Los Angeles Times. She said the dog, named Rednose, was shot once in the shoulder and has required extensive surgery.

Police in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, say a border collie was being walked by its owner on a sidewalk when the pit bull attacked it. An officer responding to the scene tried to break up the dogs by kicking the pit bull and using a Taser. The officer eventually shot the pit bull, which then let go of the collie.

But Guymon says Rednose was minding her own business when an off-leash dog wandered into her territory. She said Rednose was defending her turf.

“She’s a little sweetie,” Guymon said of the nearly 2-year-old dog. “She loves people. But she just doesn’t like other dogs, especially when they trespass on her property. She even kissed the vet when he treated her. The police were wrong for using their gun, and now they’ve got to pay for it.”

Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young told The Times that Guymon has previously been cited for having a dog at large and for having a vicious animal.

In this case, “the officer couldn’t get the pit bull off the other dog. It had a death grip. He used his Taser and finally shot the thing,” Young said.

“We’re not paying for anybody’s vet bill,” he said.

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