BROOKSHIRE, Texas – A month-long investigation into the controversial shooting of a dog in Brookshire has concluded, with the police officer involved set to return from administrative leave, Brookshire Mayor Robert Richards announced Wednesday.
The exact return date has not been decided.
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The incident, which occurred on June 4 at Longenbaugh Park, involved a Brookshire Police officer who joined the force in October 2024 and a Waller County Animal Control officer. According to the investigation, the dog was initially wounded by the police officer and subsequently shot to death by animal control.
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“There were children, according to them the dog was chasing them in an aggressive manner,” Richards said, explaining that the incident began with a concerned citizen’s call about the situation.
According to Richards, when officers arrived at the scene, animal control attempted various non-lethal methods to capture the dog.
“Animal control could not subdue the dog with the catch pull, with food, the dog started to move around,” he explained.
After these attempts proved unsuccessful, animal control deemed the dog too aggressive to catch safely.
Questions surface about protocol
The investigation revealed a critical oversight in dispatch procedures. Despite Brookshire hiring its own animal control officer just six days before the incident, dispatchers called Waller County Animal Control instead, following longstanding habit rather than updated protocol.
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Olivia Olson-Gruber, Brookshire’s newly hired animal control officer who wasn’t called to the scene, expressed concerns about the handling of the situation.
“In 11 years, I have never had to shoot a dog,” she said, suggesting alternative approaches such as “bringing in a trap, seeing if we can trap the animal, tranq dart.”
The mayor detailed the sequence of events leading to the shooting.
The Brookshire officer sought approval from both animal control and his supervisor before proceeding. After the initial shots were fired, the wounded dog ran into a ditch, leading to the final decision by animal control to euthanize the animal.
Community response
Local resident Ashley Collins, who witnessed the incident, disputes the official narrative. “From what we saw, what we observed this dog was not aggressive,” Collins said, calling for “accountability for what happened, training for these officers.”
The city will honor the dog’s surviving puppy, named Lollie, at a tribute event scheduled for July 10 at Longenbaugh Park. The puppy is currently available for adoption through Belle’s Buds Rescue.
In response to the incident, the mayor confirmed that more than half of Brookshire’s 11 police officers have completed mandatory canine encounter training, with the remainder scheduled to complete the training soon.
