CINCINNATI -- A College Hill couple is seeking answers and wants accountability after Cincinnati police shot their dog in the head during a response to an alleged burglary call at their home.
Alicia Wheeler-Stevens called 911 on Tuesday Feb. 10 when she thought someone was breaking into her home on West North Bend Road. When officers arrived, one of her dogs escaped from the house, prompting police to open fire.
"I thought that I heard this door open and shut. I was in my living room, which is on the other end of the house," Wheeler-Stevens told WCPO. "The next thing I know, I heard a gunshot. They shot him in his head."
Wheeler-Stevens said she watched in horror as her dog, Max, bled on the ground after being shot.
"That's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life," she said.
Her husband, William Stevens, said he arrived to find police cars blocking the street and officers with guns drawn.
"I walk into the side of the house, grab my dog. They told me not to go in. I'm going in anyway -- you shot my dog." Stevens said. "So I get him, put him on the leash. He's bleeding profusely. I mean, he's bleeding so bad my car is full of blood."
Stevens rushed Max to an emergency veterinarian, where doctors found metal fragments in the dog's head. Max is now recovering at home, but the couple said veterinary bills have reached approximately $3,000, and the dog may require additional surgery.
Stevens questioned why five officers couldn't subdue one dog without using deadly force.
"You shoot him instead of (Tasing) him? I don't understand that." Stevens said. "And then we don't get an apology or nothing. I believe they need to pay for all my vet bills, which is totally about $3,000 as of this moment."
The couple said police left the scene without apologizing or providing a written report about the incident. They have had no contact from Cincinnati police since the shooting.
Ken Kober, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Queen City Lodge 69, said such situations are tragic but sometimes unavoidable.
"These officers walk into these dangerous situations," Kober said. "They have a right to defend themselves, whether it's from somebody that's armed with a weapon, or, in this case, a dog that may be aggressing upon them. If they believe that they're going to be bit, they have the right to defend themselves."
Kober, who spent eight years as a canine handler, said officers' comfort levels with dogs vary and that some situations develop too quickly for alternative responses.
"It depends on whether the officers are even aware that an animal's involved," he said. "You could have no idea that there's an animal involved until you're on the porch knocking on a door and somebody's let a dog go."
To prevent similar incidents, Kober recommends that people calling 911 inform dispatchers if they have pets, especially dogs that might be aggressive.
"If you can contain that dog, whether you put it in your bathroom, put it in a cage, do something like that, it could prevent tragedies like this from happening," Kober said.
The Stevens family is now also warning other pet owners to secure their animals before calling 911.
"Be cautious when you call 911, make sure you put your dogs in a room so they don't get shot," Stevens said. "They're like your kids."
Wheeler-Stevens, who recently underwent spinal surgery, said the trauma has affected both her and her pet.
"I believe my dog's gonna be traumatized the rest of his life," she said.
The couple now wants Cincinnati police to pay their veterinary bills and hold the officer who shot their dog accountable.
CPD did not respond to requests for comment or body camera footage from the incident.