Deputy Filmed Euthanizing Badly Injured Dog on Farmington Highway

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera footage of a deputy euthanizing a badly injured dog on a highway, saying social media claims about the incident did not reflect what happened.

The video shows Deputy Cunningham patrolling Highway 64 at around 11 p.m. on October 14 when he found a vehicle stopped in a turn lane and an injured dog lying behind it. The sheriff’s office said the dog had no collar, was bleeding from the mouth and could not stand even after the deputy put a leash on it and encouraged it to walk. The footage ends just before he used his service weapon to put the animal down.

The sheriff’s office said a post in a local lost-and-found pets group on Facebook later suggested the deputy had killed the dog by “stabbing it,” leading to criticism of the deputy, who was identified by name online.

“Anytime a deputy is faced with the difficult decision to humanely euthanize an animal, it is never taken lightly,” said Sheriff Shane Ferrari. “Unfortunately, information shared publicly about this incident did not accurately reflect the circumstances, resulting in unfair criticism of a deputy who was identified by name. Social media can spread misinformation quickly. I encourage everyone to consider all the facts before drawing conclusions.”