I got an e-mail today from a Pierce County resident who heard a rumor going around his neighborhoood.

Apparently a drunk woman had refused to exit her car in the vicinity of Brookdale and Canyon, and one of her two dogs (pits?) jumped out an open window and menaced the officers, who then shot the dog. The other dog was controlled through the open window by Animal Control officers, allowing the officers to arrest the woman for DUI.

I read the Pierce County Sheriff's Department report on the incident and can report:

A deputy spotted a vehicle parked at 48th Avenue East and Brookdale Road East at 1:48 a.m. Monday and investigated. The deputy found the driver slumped over the wheel and initially not responsive. Her passenger side window was open and the driver's side window was open. The report states there were two aggressive pitbulls in the vehicle.

The deputy tried to wake up the driver using the patrol car's lights and horn. Another deputy arrived to assist. The dogs were both barking and jumping around the car.

A sergeant and fire personnel also responded to check on the driver's condition. She was unresponsive for 15 minutes, then she gained some responsiveness but her speech was slurred and attention span limited. She was barely able to understand/answer questions. A deputy repeatedly told her to roll up her windows so the dogs could not get out. She didn't respond and yelled at the dogs.

One of the pitbulls jumped out of the vehicle through the passenger window. The dog ran toward one of the deputies. The deputy backed up but the dog kept charging at full speed, the report states. The deputy shot the dog once in the head. The dog dropped to the ground.

The driver then rolled her passenger window up and got out of the car without the other dog escaping.

Paramedics checked out the woman and found no medical issues. Her vehicle was secured and she was arrested for driving with a suspended license and physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated.

An animal control officer responded to the scene and took the pit bull from the backseat of the vehicle.

The report says nothing more about the shot dog.