Independent filmmaker Michael Ozias and producer Patrick Reasonover are set to debut their new film, Of Dogs and Men this coming Sunday about the ongoing epidemic of police officers killing man’s best friend. The film delves into a number of true stories about this preventable dilemma. Here is a Short Synopsis from their website:
According to a Department of Justice estimate, police officers shoot and kill over 10,000 pet dogs in the US every year.
From SWAT raids to simple calls and even visits to wrong addresses, we are seeing more and more incidents of officers using lethal force against a family pet, despite the fact that no officer has ever been killed in the line of duty by a dog.
Are these callous acts by officers in a system without regard for our four-legged family members, or are they true peace officers doing their best in a dangerous job?”
People in other professions have learned non-lethal ways of encountering animals on a daily basis without the pets facing their demise. For example mail carriers, pizza delivery personnel, and meter readers who are usually unarmed have been successful in dealing with the presence of family pets in a peaceful manner for decades. “ Use of deadly force is rarely justified in these types of cases. With better training (mandated through legislative action), we are confident that we can put an end to these pointless killings,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Of Dogs and Men does an excellent job educating citizens on both the common facts of these heartbreaking cases and the surprising scope of the problem, while highlighting the tools citizens can employ to change outcomes for the better―from legislation requiring officer training in canine encounters to litigation under the federal civil rights act. This film needed to be made and ALDF is proud to be a part of it.”
The Austin screening and list of panelists from their Facebook Page:
We’ve locked down our panels for the Of Dogs and Men screenings at the Austin Film Festival!
Here are the screening times and the panelists that will be present for Q&A afterward:
Sunday, November 1 at 3:00 PM at the Rollins Theater
Located in the Long Center For The Performing Arts, 501 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
- Cindy Boling, her dog Lily was shot by a Ft. Worth police officer.
- Jeff Halstead, Ft. Worth police chief who oversaw a training program for his officers.
- Shelby Bobosky, from the Texas Humane Legislation Network that helped get a statewide training mandate passed into Texas state law.
- Jim Osorio, former police officer who now trains other officers in how to handle dog encounters
- Michael Ozias, Of Dogs and Men director.
Monday, November 2 at 4:30 PM at Galaxy Highland Located at 6700 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752
- Chris Green, representing the Animal Legal Defense Fund which has helps design and pass animal welfare legislation.
- Jennifer Reba Edwards, lawyer for the Branson and Moore families, both of whom had their dogs shot in Colorado.
- Michael Paxton, his dog Cisco was shot by the Austin PD.
- Jeffrey Justice, an activist and administrator or the Facebook page Dogs Shot By Police.
- Patrick Reasonover, Of Dogs and Men producer.
Learn More: BrettSanders.me
1 Comments
Ricky Moore II
Serial killers always start with animals. Just saying.