Video: Dog Handling a Priority at Sheriff's Office

The Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies have to put themselves into a lot of dangerous situations, and some of them involve animals. New training the deputies undergo show them how to be more effective in dealing with animals, so fewer officers and animals get hurt, said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The response by police to animal complaints was questioned recently when an officer in St. Petersburg fatally shot and killed an elderly Golden Retriever, and when a Manatee County deputy shot a pet dog in the owner's yard, after a mistaken call to 911. The animal had to be euthanized.

At the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, deputies demonstrated how they are able to capture and contain animals in their squad cars with the use of a pole. At a press conference, they also showed techniques for calming animals. Gualtieri said that the methods have kept deputies from using lethal force in some extreme sitations, which included corralling an alligator.

Gualtieri also noted that it is the role of his department to respond to all complaints, even those involving unruly animals. Last month, St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon announced that his officers would no longer respond to animal calls unless the animals posed an immediate threat to humans.