A loose-dog call on Milwaukee's far northwest side turned ugly Monday afternoon when two dogs attacked a responding officer, leaving the officer with minor injuries, officials said. The officer was treated by first responders at the scene and did not need to be taken to a hospital.
Officers were dispatched around 2 p.m. to the 6300 block of North 103rd Street for a report of a loose animal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Milwaukee Fire Department 7th Battalion Chief Nickolas Trost told the paper that the officer's injuries were minor and that firefighters did not transport the officer to a hospital. The Journal Sentinel also noted that online police scanner traffic indicated gunshots during the encounter, a detail that the Milwaukee Police Department had not independently confirmed.
What department policy allows
Under Milwaukee Police Department rules for animal calls, officers are instructed to try nonlethal options such as capture poles, chemical sprays and conducted energy weapons when dealing with aggressive animals. The department's animal standard operating procedure states that members are authorized to use "reasonable force, up to and including deadly force, to neutralize the threat" if an animal presents an imminent danger, according to the MPD's SOP 060.
How often force is used
The city's Fire and Police Commission logged 1,841 use-of-force incidents by Milwaukee police in 2025 and publishes an annual review that breaks down the types of force used and the situations in which they occur. That reporting is meant to provide oversight context for the relatively rare cases when officers fire their weapons during animal-related encounters, the Fire and Police Commission notes.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for additional information, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. This story will be updated if officials release more details.
