Miniature donkey shot and killed by a police officer during search for missing child
A police officer shot and killed HeeHaw, a miniature petting donkey used to comfort children and the elderly, during a search for a missing child in Georgia.
HeeHaw, a miniature donkey, was shot and killed by a police offer. Credit: GoFundMe
A miniature donkey has been shot and killed by a police officer during a search for a missing child in Cedartown, Georgia.
The donkey, named HeeHaw, was killed in his own pasture at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Polk County. Hannah Israel, who bottle-fed him since infancy and refers to him as her “son”, is now demanding to see bodycam footage of the shooting.
Officers entered the farm on the night of August 29, without Israel’s knowledge. They had been looking for a missing child, and were guided to the premises by Haralson County’s bloodhound. The child was later found in a church nearby. Having been informed by officers of the shooting, Israel said that she spent over an hour searching the grounds of her 20-acre property for HeeHaw’s body.
In an official incident report, Cedartown Police Department (CPD) officer Trenton Garner, 24, said that after taking down a fence panel to his enclosure, HeeHaw began charging at him and Haralson County’s K-9 team. After a colleague’s attempt to deter HeeHaw with a taser did not work, Garner “had to use my firearm to dispatch the donkey and prevent injury to the Haralson County K-9 team.”
However, Israel said that she would be “completely shocked if HeeHaw was being aggressive.” Instead, she believes that HeeHaw was simply greeting the officers. “Every time he saw somebody, he would run up and bray, and then do a really goofy sound because he loved people, and he thought he was a person,” she said. "He slept in my bed for the first three months of his life."
HeeHaw was accustomed to being around many people, especially children and the elderly, having been used in petting zoos and nursing homes, including a dementia care unit. "We would never allow him to do any of that if he was at all not safe," Israel said, adding that no one had ever expressed fear of HeeHaw, who stood under 30 inches tall.
CPD Chief Jamie Newsome confirmed that bodycam footage exists but declined to comment on what it shows. Garner, who has been with CPD for three years, is now on paid administrative leave while the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division investigates.
Israel has set up a GoFundMe to cover legal costs tied to HeeHaw's death. She said any money remaining would go toward the farm, its animals' care, and a future HeeHaw foundation. The fund had already raised nearly $160,000.
Representing HeeHaw’s family, Attorney Chris McCormick said that a lawsuit has already been drafted, and will be filed, if answers are not forthcoming. He added that the killing raises serious questions not only about the use of force used, but about his client’s property rights.
“Under the Fourth Amendment, we have the right to be absolutely secure in our persons and our properties,” said McCormick. “They [the police] are violating the Fourth Amendment, in my view – there’s been an unlawful search and seizure of my client’s property, including her donkey.”
HeeHaw with Hannah Israel, who bottle-fed him since infancy. Credit: GoFundMe
While companion animal killings by U.S. police officers are common, this is likely the first time that a miniature petting donkey has been the victim. By far the most common pet to be killed are dogs, with the Department of Justice estimating that around 10,000 dogs are killed every year by officers in the line of duty. This amounts to 25 dogs per day.
The current case has echoes of recent high-profile killings. Notably, Pluto – a German shepherd who served as a therapy dog for Natashia Christen's autistic son, – was reportedly killed when officers entered his fenced backyard while trying to arrest a suspect in Rockford, Illinois. Christen was not home at the time, and the suspect had no connection to Pluto or her family.
Described by Christen as “very kind and very smart”, Pluto was shot twice. Christen disputes that Pluto would’ve displayed any aggression to the officers, but her requests for information from Rockford Police went unanswered, she said.
“They don’t give us a sorry. They didn’t give us anything,” said Natashia. “Where’s the justice? How are you going to replace the dog that you killed? How are you going to replace my son’s therapy dog?”
Two years ago in Sturgeon, Missouri, an officer sparked outrage after shooting a deaf and blind shih tzu mix named Teddy. As a result, the Missouri General Assembly introduced Teddy’s Law, a proposed bill requiring officers to complete specialized training on how to handle canine encounters, which would enhance officer safety as well as preventing unnecessary deaths.
According to a report published in 2018 by The University of New Hampshire Law Review, many pet shootings occurred when the officers mistook an animal’s playfulness or curiosity as a sign of aggression.
Donkeys are the most trafficked animal in the world, with more than six million killed every year for ejiao - a traditional Chinese medicine made from boiled donkey skin.
Species Unite has joined with a growing coalition of advocacy organizations to support Rep. Beyer as he works to pass the Ejiao Act in the 119th Congress. Please send your letter of support today.
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A police officer shot and killed HeeHaw, a miniature petting donkey used to comfort children and the elderly, during a search for a missing child in Georgia.