Via David Codrea, this amusing report.

DAVIE, Fla. – A Davie police officer accidentally shot himself Friday morning, police said.

The officer was attempting to shoot a dog that charged at him during a non-criminal incident at a home on Southwest 116th Way, Davie police Lt. Mark Leone said.

“When the police officer got to the front door of the residence, the family pet — happens to be a female boxer named Bella — ran right past him and went toward the officer,” Leone said. “The officer was in fear, drew his firearm and fired one shot.”

Leone said the officer’s hand got in the way of the gun’s muzzle.

Home surveillance video shows what appears to be the officer walking back and forth from the home.

Moments later, more police cars arrive — lights flashing — and officers run toward the home.

A short time goes by when two officers are seen walking on the sidewalk, one of them grasping his hand.

He gets to the back of a patrol car and appears to start wrapping something around the wound to stop the bleeding, seemingly frustrated.

Several of the officers gathered around shine their flashlights on the wound. An ambulance arrives and the officer gets in the back before it drives away.

The officer was expected to be OK, as is the dog that was grazed by the bullet, Leone said.

The officer is expected to be OK.  I don’t care.  I want to know how the dog is?

Okay, so let’s cover this in a little more detail.  The dog was doing its job.  It was running to see if there was a threat.  The dog lives there.  The cop doesn’t.  This is what good dogs do.  This is not what good cops do.

The options for the cop would include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) call ahead of time and ask the owner to secure his beasts, (b) carry a dog treat in his pocket (which would be a good thing to do anyway), (c) learn to handle dogs, farm animals and other household pets by volunteering at a local ranch or farm to help feed animals, clean stalls, mate dogs and horses, doctor animals, etc., etc., something I’ve recommended many times before, in which case he probably could have discerned the intentions of the dog or held him at bay with voice commands (d) or finally, if he is highly emotional and feels that he just can’t handle the pressure, he could have used pepper spray rather than [intended] lethal means to stop the dog.

The dog never intended to attack the cop, as evidenced by the broken off [ahem] attack when the cop shot himself.  One more thing: ” … the officer’s hand got in the way of the gun’s muzzle.”  I take it this means he shot his hand?  This would have been a much simpler and grammatically correct way to say it.  When did they stop teaching English in journalism school?