Tue, January 13, 2026 at 6:47 PM UTC
A Fort Lauderdale police officer shot a dog Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, after a person called about a dog killing their pet rabbit, police said.
A Fort Lauderdale police officer shot a pit bull Tuesday morning after the dog killed a person’s pet rabbit and attacked the officer, according to officials.
Officers responded around 7:40 a.m. to the 2800 block of Southwest Eighth Street after a person called about a large dog entering their home and killing their rabbit, Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokesperson Kerri Hagerty said. The dog also tried to attack the homeowner.
“Officers arrived on scene and located the dog outside of the residence, still holding the deceased rabbit in its mouth,” police said. “The dog then dropped the rabbit and attacked the officer, biting him on the forearm.”
The officer fired his gun, wounding the dog, which tried to run away, police said. The dog was found and turned over to Broward County Animal Care.
The officer suffered minor injuries and was treated at Broward General Medical Center.
Zachary Rinkins, a spokesman for Broward County Animal Care, said the dog was a male American pit bull terrier and his owner requested for him to be euthanized.
No other injuries were reported, police said.
Police did not identity the dog’s owner. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Animal Crimes Unit is investigating the incident.