Dog Shot by Officer Due to Return Home

Rondyck, the 7-year-old German shepherd shot by Los Angeles police SWAT officers during a search for robbers after Tuesday’s botched bank heist in Van Nuys, is scheduled to be released from the clinic today.

“I think the dog is ready to go home,” said veterinarian Michael Pitt of Beverly Oaks Animal Hospital in Sherman Oaks. “He’s tired of being here.”

Said Karapet Avetikyan, the dog’s owner: “I am happy he’s coming home because I’ve got other dogs here crying all the time.”

The attempted robbery occurred just before 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Great Western Bank branch in the 6500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Five men parked behind the bank, two staying in the car while three donned ski masks and approached the building.

Two former law enforcement officers--one formerly a sheriff’s deputy and the other formerly an LAPD officer--working as security guards thwarted the alleged heist attempt when they confronted the three masked men. One alleged robber was killed and another hospitalized after a brief gun battle.

Three of the men escaped, prompting an intensive search of the neighborhood around the bank. Rondyck was shot twice near the shoulder by officers searching in Avetikyan’s yard. The officer shot to protect himself after the dog attacked, said Lt. Anthony Alba, an LAPD spokesman.

One of Rondyck’s legs was amputated Wednesday night. The LAPD’s Risk Management Section agreed to pay the dog’s $1,500 veterinarian bill.

“That is not giving me happiness,” Avetikyan said. “It’s the [police’s] fault. They have to pay.”

Rondyck was up and about Friday--recovering amazingly quickly, Pitt said.

“It’s just his will,” he said. “He should have a normal, good quality life.”