Cops Love to Shoot Dogs

That is the only explanation that holds up. San Bernardino homeowner says deputy entered yard without warrant and fatally shot dog - ABC7 Los Angeles

Cops also apparently don't understand the Constitution boundaries around searching, and pursuit of a subject. (Spoiler Alert: there was no pursuit of a subject.)

A San Bernardino homeowner says a county sheriff's deputy entered his backyard without a warrant and shot and killed one of his dogs, prompting questions from the family and their attorney about why deputies were at the home.

TL;DR - They were looking for a stolen car, that was later found in the neighborhood, but not at this home. There was no high-speed chase; there were no exigent circumstances. There was only a deputy who either didn't know, or didn't care, about the constitutional limits on entering someone's backyard through a gate.

The incident occurred May 4 in unincorporated San Bernardino. Surveillance video shows deputies walking up a driveway and looking into the backyard, where another dog, Raven, could be seen. The deputies then leave but return about two minutes later, when one deputy enters the yard.

Because police always believe that their authority has no bounds.^‡

Click thru for the rest of the details.

I predict that this cop will face no long-term repercussions. He might get a slap on the wrist, but maybe not.

‡ I can also foresee the comments. "Not all cops ..." Look up what happened after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. New Orleans Chief of Police Eddie Compass declared that the 2nd Amendment no longer applied, and cops from New Orleans, and cops who had come into the region to help, put on their Jack Boots and violated the constitution. Why? Because we said so, that's why.