Arfee, dog shot by CdA officer, was a Labrador, not a pit bull

The owner of a dog fatally shot by a Coeur d’Alene police officer on Wednesday says the dog wasn’t a “vicious pit bull,” as initially reported by the police department, but a 2-year-old black Labrador named Arfee.

Coeur d’Alene police Chief Ron Clark, said Thursday that the department is reviewing the shooting in a parking lot at 821 Sherman Ave. in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

“Animal control officers originally identified the dog as a pit bull,” Clark said in a news release. “The Police Department had a veterinarian examine the dog and it has been identified as a lab mix.”

The incident has exploded on social media, and the police department reported that it is withholding the name of the officer because it has received threatening voicemails and emails.

“This incident will be investigated and reviewed for policy and legal compliance,” Clark’s statement said. “We understand the grief the family is dealing with due to the loss of their pet. We also understand the distress this has caused for citizens. The officer who shot the dog is also distraught over this incident.”

Police reported in a news release Wednesday that they were responding to a report of a suspicious van, possibly containing someone watching young children near 8th Street and Sherman Avenue. The department reported Wednesday that when an officer approached the van on the driver’s side, “a vicious Pit Bull dog lunged out the open driver’s side window toward the Officer’s face.” The officer fired, striking Arfee in the chest.

No one was in the van.

The van’s owner, Craig Jones, posted on Facebook early Wednesday afternoon that “Cda cops just shot my dog while I ate lunch at Java?”

A picture on his Facebook page indicates that the officer fired through a window. Jones posted on Facebook that the police department has offered to buy him a new window.

Jones, who is from Coeur d’Alene but now lives in Colorado, had posted three days earlier, “Best 4th of July weekend in cda eva …” with a photo showing a view of the lake.

“I’d like to thank my Facebook family for your support and love,” Jones posted on Facebook on Thursday. “Today is definitely harder than yesterday. Just seeing his ball in my rig tears me apart. This cop left a hole in both that can’t be fixed. If it wasn’t for my desire to face him in court and strip him of his badge. I would probably be at the bottom of the lake with my boy ‘Arfee.’ ”