Dog who survived 2006 shooting dies

CHARLOTTE -- Truman, the chocolate Labrador retriever who survived a police shooting nearly three years ago and went on to enjoy bananas, his new kid brother and dressing up as Tupac Shakur for Halloween, died Saturday.

He was 13.

"He was our child with fur," owner Meredith Phillips said on Monday from her home in Charlotte.

The head wound Truman suffered on Christmas Day 2006 at the hands of a Raleigh police officer, who was investigating a dog-bite report, was not a factor in his death. It was pancreatitis that finally claimed the 85-pound family pet, Phillips said.

"We are hanging in there, but it's really been rough. We are just heartbroken," she said.

Truman gained notoriety when he came to Raleigh in 2006 with Phillips and her husband, Clay, for their annual Christmas visit with Meredith Phillips' family.

Fateful dog bite

During their visit, another family dog bit Meredith Phillips. The wound required an emergency room visit, and Rex Healthcare personnel forwarded an incident report to law enforcement, as required by law.

When a Raleigh police officer stopped by to investigate the report, Truman was tethered on the front porch by a 5-foot leash because his vigorous tail-wagging had sent dishes flying inside the house. The officer told the family Truman growled at him, so he drew his weapon and shot the dog.

Truman fully recovered about six months later. The city of Raleigh did compensate the Phillipses for their $3,000 veterinary bill, nearly two years later.

"But they never formally apologized," Phillips said.

When the story of Truman's shooting went public, sympathetic dog lovers began sending care packages of doggie treats.

"Truman loved the UPS man," Phillips said. "He knew there was something in there for him."

The following fall, Meredith spent three hours baking a white sheet cake with chocolate frosting for a Halloween party. They knew Truman was back to his usual self when he laid his paws on the kitchen counter and buried his face in the sweet treat.

"He went to town [eating cake], with icing all over his face," Phillips said.

Clay Phillips wanted to scold Truman, but his wife wouldn't hear of it.

"No, he was shot in the head," she told her husband.

The Phillipses always dressed Truman in costume for Halloween. One of the most memorable years was the year they dressed him as a pirate. The year after Truman was shot, they dressed him up as the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

"We dressed him up as Tupac because he was shot by the police," Phillips said.

The Phillipses added a human child to the family after Truman's shooting. Baby boy George is now 14 months old.

"George has a T-shirt that says: 'My Big Brother Is A Chocolate Lab,'" Phillips said.

His last days

Truman fell ill a week ago. He refused to eat. An X-ray showed he had pancreatitis.

Phillips was relieved. Truman had already survived two bouts of cancer and one more bout of pancreatitis since the shooting. Truman was released from the South Park Animal Hospital in Charlotte, just in time for a trip to the beach at Bogue Sound on the Intracoastal Waterway.

But Truman refused to eat the special dog food prescribed by the vet. That night at the couple's beach home, Truman climbed into Meredith Phillips' lap and watched "Remember The Titans."

He went to bed in the laundry room, and Clay Phillips checked on him several times through the night. When he checked again at 8a.m., Truman had died. They buried him in a spot he loved.

"He was the greatest dog who ever lived," she said.