Westside : CANINE CASE

The owners of a pet German shepherd killed by a private security guard last spring outside their Laurel Canyon home have reached a $30,000 out-of-court settlement with the security firm.

The settlement stemmed from the April 3 shooting of 9-year-old Bud by a guard from Newport Beach-based Westec Security.

At the time of the incident, Bud’s owners, George and Jackie Rissotto, were on vacation. The couple had left their house in the care of Westec Security, said Michael Rotsten, the Rissottos’ attorney.

“We hope the message is out there, that if someone is going to do something like this, they are going to pay,” Rotsten said.

Although the facts are in dispute, the encounter between Bud and the security guard resulted in the dog being shot three times.

The pet’s caretaker, Robert Tuck, said he was returning Bud to his home after a walk when he was approached by an armed Westec guard. Tuck apparently told the guard that he had been hired to watch over the dog, but when the guard asked to see his identification, Tuck refused.

A second guard arrived at the Rissotto’s home. The guards alleged that Bud ran at them, while Tuck contends that all Bud did was sniff the hands of one of the guards.

An attorney for Westec declined to discuss the incident and would only say that the settlement was “appropriate.”