Certain canine breeds are often classified as dangerous and perceived as posing a violent threat to people. Such stereotyping is often exaggerated and inaccurate, but that doesn’t keep dog shelters from overflowing with unjustly demonized hounds. For some, there’s no such thing as a trustworthy Pitbull, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, or Doberman Pinscher. A breed not typically found on that list is the Shih Tzu, which usually weighs between 9 and 16 pounds. A Shih Tzu is even less intimidating when it’s 12 years old, deaf, and blind.
That made it particularly shocking when a former police officer in Missouri shot Teddy, the non-aggressive Shih Tzu, after he escaped from his yard.
On November 14, 2025, the city of Sturgeon, a small town of about 1,000 residents located roughly in the middle of the state, agreed to a $500,000 settlement over a lawsuit involving the shooting death of Teddy, a 13-pound Shih Tzu that had wandered into a neighbor’s yard. While responding, Sturgeon police officer Myron Woodson failed in several attempts to secure Teddy with a catch pole before drawing his weapon to shoot and kill the reportedly non-aggressive dog.
According to a lawsuit filed by Nicholas Hunter, Teddy’s owner, Woodson lied about Teddy’s demeanor, claiming he shot Teddy because the dog was “injured.” The Mayor and the town came to Woodson’s defense, claiming that Teddy “may have been rabid” and that Woodson had done nothing wrong. Even after viewing Woodson’s bodycam footage, which exposed his lack of training, they maintained their stance and never disciplined Woodson for his actions.
Backed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), Hunter filed a federal lawsuit in May 2024 seeking $1 million for violations against his Fourth Amendment rights by Woodson and the City of Sturgeon in the shooting of his blind and deaf dog. Following depositions, the plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment in August 2025. While the settlement won’t bring Hunter’s family dog back, perhaps it can help prevent some of the estimated 10,000 dog shooting deaths by law enforcement each year.
Literally a Dog-Gone Shame
On May 19, 2024, Teddy’s owner was out for dinner when the deaf and blind dog dug his way out of his home’s fenced yard and escaped. During the process, his collar and ID tags fell off and were left behind as he ambled off on his ill-fated adventure.
A neighbor spotted Teddy in their backyard and, after giving him water and getting him settled next to her, attempted to use social media to find his owner. After about an hour without success, she alerted the Sturgeon police department. During the exchange with the dispatcher, she asserted that Teddy was not being aggressive in any manner.
As part of a deal with Boone County, the Sturgeon Police Department also provides animal control services to the community. After arriving on the scene, Woodson did not speak with the neighbor. Clad in latex gloves and bearing a catch stick, he instead attempted to capture Teddy. The body camera footage recorded his repeated failures as he seemed untrained on how to use a catch stick. After the officer had made several attempts, Teddy began to wander away. At no point during the recording did Teddy exhibit threatening or aggressive behavior.
As Woodson followed the dog, he remarked aloud about just getting a blanket and wrapping Teddy up. The lawsuit alleged that this confirmed that he felt he was in no danger from the dog. Instead of trying the catch stick again, Woodson drew his gun and shot Teddy from extremely close range. A few seconds later, he fired another shot into the non-moving dog. It had been approximately three minutes since his arrival.
In the meantime, the dog’s owner had been shown the neighbor’s Facebook post about his missing Teddy. Although he left for the address immediately, it was already too late for Hunter to save his furry friend.
Improving the Officer Training Program
The lawsuit claimed that Hunter met with Woodson at Sturgeon’s City Hall about an hour later. After stating that he’d been there at the scene for at least ten minutes before the shooting and that he’d believed Teddy was injured, Woodson said he wouldn’t have known where to take the blind and deaf Shih Tzu if he’d captured him because Sturgeon didn’t have a pound or a designated location to take stray animals, both of which were untrue. Further discussion revealed that Woodson, who had been an officer for eight months, had never received any training or information about animal control tasks.
Hunter filed a complaint over Teddy’s shooting the following day. Sturgeon’s Mayor Kevin Abrahamson responded by claiming he’d watched the bodycam footage and the city had cleared Woodson of any wrongdoing in the incident. Five days later, Abrahamson resigned. The city council stated that they hadn’t seen the footage before it was shown on a local news station on May 24, nor had they been part of any “investigation” conducted by Abrahamson.
Hunter’s lawsuit claimed an unlawful seizure violation of his Fourth Amendment rights in Teddy’s death. In addition, it charged that Sturgeon carried municipal liability due to the lack of adequate training given to Woodson, who appeared unaware of his animal control responsibilities and procedures as part of his police officer duties. The city also stood accused of not disciplining Woodson, instead giving him $16,000 in back pay after an actual investigation was conducted.
Woodson is no longer a member of the Sturgeon police. In the wake of the controversy, all officers went to Boone County Animal Control for new and additional training. Hopefully, that will help Sturgeon police officers in the future determine when dogs pose an actual threat.
Related Resources
- If Police Shoot Your Dog, Can You Sue? (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- Police Body Cameras: What Defendants, Victims, Need To Know (FindLaw’s Criminal Defense)
- What Is Summary Judgment? (FindLaw’s Filing a Lawsuit)
