Lawsuits highlight how KC area police lack training on how to handle pets
More than a decade ago, members of the Kansas City Police Department learned how to keep pets safe when they responded to calls for service.
But that training, focused primarily on dogs, has since been phased out. And like the majority of police departments in the metro, officers are rarely required to prepare for encounters with dogs.
Of the nine Kansas City area police departments The Star reached out to, only three said they receive formal training on how to handle dogs in the public.
The phenomenon is as broad as it is local.
About 45% of U.S. households own a dog as of 2024, according to the most recent data available from the American Veterinary Medical Association. That’s compared to just 39% of U.S. households who have a child according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Police are more likely to encounter a dog than a child when they respond to a residence.
A Kansas City area lawyer, Katie Barnett, has seen an increase in the number of incidents where police officers are fatally shooting pet dogs. She represents clients in Lansing and Leavenworth who filed suit claiming unwarranted seizure of property when they had their dogs killed.
“Officers certainly have their own safety in mind as well, but just thinking with their weapon, you know, is unreasonable when there are so many other less lethal methods to handle dogs,” Barnett said.
How some police train for dog encounters
Most Kansas City area law enforcement said that training on dog encounters only comes during yearly mandatory use of force reviews.
Calls about canines are usually forwarded to animal control services, several departments said. But Barnett expressed concerns about what can happen when police encounter a dog on a call that’s not initially dog-related.
“I’ve assumed that law enforcement in the metro area was getting the training that they needed to be able to handle dogs less lethally,” Barnett said. “And it seems like they haven’t, so I think that’s a big concern.”
Officers in Independence do not get training to deal with aggressive dogs, said Bryan Conley, an Independence Police Department spokesman. Instead, if they know a dog is aggressive, they ask the owner to put the dog in a safe location, he said.
Independence has an animal control department which handles all dog-related calls. But not every city has this resource, especially smaller ones.
In Lansing, where a pet dog was shot and killed by police last year, a part-time animal control officer is employed through the police department. According to the city’s website, the officer works at various times throughout the week enforcing animal control ordinances, responding to animal complaints, maintaining vaccination records and conducting permit inspections.
An animal control department is also responsible for handling most calls about dogs in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy, an Overland Park Police Department spokesman. Overland Park officers are required to review use of force training yearly, and aggressive animals are covered in that training, Lacy said.
Lacy said OPD officers receive instruction from animal control on some animal behaviors, which has led to good outcomes. Officers are told to avoid direct eye contact with dogs since they can interpret staring as a challenge. They are also advised to speak calm and quietly and avoid sudden movements to not agitate or provoke a dog, Lacy said.
Most police departments in the metro retain policies on how to deal with dangerous or aggressive animals. In Overland Park, if officers are aware of a potentially aggressive animal, policy allows them to use pepper spray and batons to protect themselves and others.
Other tactics police have been trained in include offering distractions like throwing a toy or food to divert a dog’s attention, or using barriers like a vehicle door or a fence.
There has not been a situation where an officer shot a dog in Overland Park during the time Lacy has served as the department’s public information officer, he said. He took the post in 2016.
“As you already know, dogs, even well-behaved ones, can unpredictably under stress or in unfamiliar situations, especially when confronted by strangers in uniforms can become aggressive,” Lacy said.
Most police interactions with dogs peaceful
While dog encounters can turn aggressive, the Blue Springs Police Department said that in their experience, that is rarely the case.
Kyle Flowers, the department’s investigations captain, said officers do not get formal training on dog encounters. He’s unsure how often officers encounter dogs in the field, since only significant incidents would be reported, he said.
In recent years, only two significant incidents occurred, both resulting in the euthenasia of a dog, Flowers said. One incident was at the request of the owner after one of their dogs attacked their other dog and they were unable to stop the attack.
In the other case, a dog had violently and repeatedly attacked its owner, Flowers said.
“Most encounters with domestic pets are uneventful and our officers are able to avoid using any type of force, even when faced with aggression,” Flowers said.
In Kansas City, Kansas, officers are trained in specific ways to use less lethal force on pets. Recruits are taught how to use pepper spray and tasers on animals to protect themselves and others, said Officer Jovanna Cheatum, a KCK Police Department spokesperson.
KCKPD officers use special equipment from animal services. But even with extensive training, there are factors that are ultimately out of police control, Cheatum said.
“If the dog is aggressive the officer will request Animal Services which could create a delay until Animal Services has possession of the dog,” Cheatum said. “If there is an imminent threat to life or significant injury the officer will respond using the necessary force to protect life including lethal force.”
No Kansas, Missouri laws to require police training on dogs
In recent years, the Kansas City Police Department has worked closely with Kansas City Pet Project, and has requested their assistance when officers encounter aggressive animals.
On July 30, the city of Kansas City took over animal control responsibilities from the KC Pet Project. The city’s Neighborhood Services Department now oversees operations through the new Animal Services Division.
While KCPD has policies and procedures for dog bite responses and for euthanizing an animal, officers do not get specific training for dog encounters, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a KCPD spokeswoman.
But that hasn’t always been the case.
A retired KCPD commander who led a SWAT team was involved in an initiative from 2010-2013 that helped reduce dog shootings by police officers. Charles Huth said helping officers understand dog behavior and using special equipment helped reduce dog shootings by 90%.
“It became part of our culture that we accounted for dogs,” Huth said. “And we also understood… at the time… there were six figure awards starting to be given in civil court judgements against the police for shooting canines.”
It became important for police to account for dog encounters to help build community trust, Huth said. At times, it was a hard balance since dogs are a lower priority of protections in SWAT situations, Huth said. Children and innocent people, police officers and suspects all come first.
But it is a rare situation where an officer would be required to shoot and kill a dog, Huth said.
“Most dogs we encountered weren’t trained to attack,” Huth said. “Most dogs were afraid. And so, what could you do… and it may sound crazy to say this, but to help them feel safe so that they are less aggressive?”
Huth said there were times that using new methods for what appeared to be an aggressive dog ended with — by the time police were processing suspects — officers petting the dog.
“With our job, there’s so much ambiguity, you just have to be humble,” Huth said. “You never have it figured out. And every situation is a little bit different. … We learned we had to plan and account for dog encounters ahead of time.”
These practices are what dog behavior expert Shannon Wells says can lead to better outcomes.
Wells has been an expert witness in dog behavior for past criminal and civil cases. She currently serves as the executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society.
“Animals are property in the eyes of the law, but they’re also family in the eyes of people,” Wells said. “So a lot of times, those two interests are sort of at odds, especially as they come up in legal cases.”
Only a handful of U.S. states require police officers to be trained in recognizing canine behavior and using appropriate levels of force during dog encounters. Neither Kansas nor Missouri have such laws.
Wells argues officers would benefit from knowing some behavior to help deescalate situations. It’s not only for the animal’s benefit, but for the officer to feel safe, too, she said.
“When an animal…appears to be aggressive, more likely than not, it’s operating in fear. So knowing that can kind of inform how to respond,” Wells said.
“Can a dog bite someone when they’re scared? Yes, absolutely they can, but they’re typically not an animal whose intention is to attack.”
While Barnett has taught students about these cases as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, she has never litigated one until this year. In 2025 alone, her office received three calls from clients about their pets being killed by police.
One case, in Missouri, has reached a confidential settlement.
“We want officers to get training,” Barnett said. “We want our clients to be made whole. And sometimes, you know, there’s nothing that you can do to make someone whole.
“I’d rather train them than sue them.”
