By Rowan Behm
The Scene staff
The Humane Society of Missouri is hoping for a happy ending for a dog whose owner was shot and killed by police Sept. 25 in an office building just west of the Forest Park campus.
“We found scratch wounds, but no puncture marks,” said Laura Keller, director of marketing and communications. “He was looking at us and wagging his tail.”
On the day of the shooting, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Major Janice Bockstruck told reporters at a news conference that the puppy’s owner, who was having a “mental-health crisis,” had stabbed the dog and himself with a knife.
Police later released a statement, identifying the man as Gregory Maxwell, 37, of Springfield, Illinois, and clarifying that he had a pair of scissors, not a knife.
“The police asked us to come pick up the dog or even offered to drop him off for us,” Keller said.
Snoopy was placed under observation for 24 hours to give him time to decompress and settle in before being thoroughly examined by a veterinary team.
The Humane Society confirmed that Snoopy was owned by Maxwell through his mother, who agreed to allow the black puppy to be adopted into a good home.
“He was underweight when we got him,” Keller said. “He did not have a microchip either, so we will be (installing one).”
St. Louis police responded to a 911 call at 2:35 p.m. Sept. 25 at an office building in the 5700 block of Oakland Avenue.
According to Bockstruck, a man believed to be having a “mental-health crisis” was walking around the third floor with a puppy and sitting in people’s office chairs.
Police tased and then shot the man after he tried to escape, stabbed himself and failed to follow orders, Bockstruck said, adding that the officer who pulled the trigger feared for his life.
Snoopy has been on a 10-day hold at the Humane Society to allow the veterinary team to monitor his behavior and diet. He will be available for adoption around Oct. 8.
“He’s really, really sweet,” Keller said. “Everyone likes him. He even responds to his name.”