A Hammond Police K-9 officer is on administrative leave this week after the YouTube video was posted by a citizen who saw him striking a K-9 dog and lifting the dog by the leash off the ground repeatedly. The officer lifts the German Shepard by the leash and appears to be striking the dog with another leash in the stomach area.
I cannot discern what the dog did wrong except possible tug at the leash.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. issued a statement:
“Anybody who loves dogs as much as I do is always saddened and shocked anytime you hear of a dog’s abuse. When you find out it happened with an employee of yours, it makes it that much more shocking and disturbing. Please know that the Hammond PD does not condone that type of behavior of any of it’s officers, nor is it tolerated in this administration.”
What will be interesting is if the officer will contest the claim that this is abuse. The law allows for dogs to receive physical punishment. That is not considered abuse. The officer could challenge the claim that this is abuse as a legal matter. People routinely spank dogs and even kick dogs or yank their chains in acts of discipline. Spike and electric collars are often used. That could lead to a serious objection to discipline. While I share the mayor’s view, it could make for a difficult legal challenge.
Reblogged this on veritasusa.
As somebody who has raised and trained dogs professionally (although not for K9 work) for many years, I see a young exuberant dog who is probably vastly undertrained for K9 work (which demands exacting discipline and obedience in a wide variety of environments) and an officer who is not using any form of training that I recognize whatsoever – to punish the dog for something (which we don’t see, but which the dog probably doesn’t remember either since normally any negative reinforcement has to be immediate).
The fact that the dog continues to wag his tail at a mildly submissive angle indicates to me that he wasn’t significantly hurt or distrustful of his handler, but a young excited dog.
From my perspective both the dog, but especially his handler, need considerably more training before being allowed to interact with the general public as K9 officers.
This is simply my opinion.
Thank you David for a rational and informed opinion instead of the cretins who wish to justify such abnormal behavior. I have had and now have a Belgian Tervuren who was a rescue dog, and I admit that they are a handful since they are too intelligent for my own good. I agree with your assessment and suggestions. It is too bad that there are others who lack such informed opinions and have a knee jerk reaction to cruelty.
pete – I like your response to the doggie’s problem. 🙂
Paul Schulte,
I didn’t know that hanging a dog up by it’s collar and leash so that it’s hind legs dangle above the ground so as to ease access to beating it’s underbelly is considered ‘proper restraint techniques’ for working dogs.
Paul Schulte,
Why the need to conflate what the officer did with rescuing a dog from a canal?
How deep was that water and did beating the dog while dangling it in the air by it’s leash and collar the chosen method of resuscitation or simply a panicked way of saying you care?
Max-1 – the water was about 4 to 4.5 feet deep running about about 2-3 mph. The sides of the canal are steep and smooth concrete so they have steps every half mile to help humans get out. From top to bottom, it is about 7 feet. There was no other way to get the dog out. I have never beaten a dog or even raised my hand to one. The dog I currently have is a rescue who was badly abused before we took it. It took a year of hand feeding and being ignored before the dog would come to me on her own.
Over my extended life time I have seen a variety of training methods, some I agree with, some I don’t. This one, until I get more information on it, I am going to hold my fire.
You know what psychologists say about people who easily abuse animals…
… They eventually substitute people as their animal of choice.
This police officer sure did pick the line of work that sure does make it easier to abuse humans. Apart from CIA torture specialists.
Paul Schulte,
What was the officer rescuing his dog from?
If you would like to notice in the film, the officer has the dog dangling, hind legs dangling above the ground the first time when he grabs the dog by the collar and lifts. Then, if you would kindly notice, again lifts the dog up this time by the leash, hind legs off the ground, then slaps the dog with the butt end of the leash on the dogs underside.
HOW is that anything like rescuing a dog in a canal drowning?
Max-1 – my comment was in response to something rafflaw wrote. And psychologists say a lot of things. I do not take stock in any of them.
I am waiting to see if this is how the officer was trained to handle to dog. If it is, then even though I would not do that to my pet, this dog is NOT a pet, he/she is a working dog. If the dog is not working, you correct the behavior.
Not sure about K-9 abuse. I was also concentrating on the audio.
Two or three people arguing and the number of “F-BOMBS”.
Jim – who do you think was dropping the f-bombs? The video photographer or the officer? Or?
It is clear from the video that the officer did not just ‘yank” the chain. He pulled the dog off the ground by the chain and then whipped him with the chain. This is abuse by any standard. No dog deserves and does not enjoy being pulled into the air by its handler via the dog chain. It is dangerous and abusive and should be treated as such. This is way beyond the edge of reasonable action with any dog.
rafflaw – my dog and I were out for a walk on day and I had her on a long lead. We were walking next to a canal. Next thing I know she is leaping into the canal. Now I used that lead to pull her out of the canal so she did not drown. Did I abuse her?
These officers need to have “real” dog training. I doubt “Cesar Milan” thinks a dog who is beat learns better. The only thing a dog learns is to hate the human. Beating a dog is not the answer. Most trained dog handlers can do so with a whistle, hand command, etc. They do not beat dogs. Police deserve no respect until their earn it. Beating a dog is more debase than beating a toddler. Fire this officer and forbid him from ever owning any living creature.
Reblogged this on Taking Back America and commented:
WTF?!?!?!?!
This not abuse. These dogs are specially bred and selection tested to have extraordinary pain tolerance. What you see there, most K9s would consider play.
I suspect he was lifting him up to get him to out his ball they tend to get a death grip on. Everyone has an opinion, but I don’t tend to give much credence to the loudest and most ignorant.
It seems everything these days is abuse to the YouTube experts. I hit play on this video expecting actual abuse. What I saw was much ado about nothing.
Perhaps we are looking at the training in an incorrect way. Was the officer training himself how to treat the public and using the dog as a prop?
He should be fired!
They need to talk to Cesar Milan about the correct procedures or any competent dog trainer. I have a Belgian and they are a handful to be sure, but I have never had to use this technique to get the dog to release.
What was the reason?
Abuse in the place of loving discipline will cause the dog to hurt someone in the future.
The K-9 commando is endangering those he took an oath to protect.
Dredd – I would wait for a little more evidence. I have Chows and they will actually pull on a choke chain (choking themselves) to get where they want to go. Some trainers will not work with them unless you use a spiked collar for control. I refuse to do that to my friends.
Still, this is on the edge of acceptable behavior and may be a legitimate training method.
Reblogged this on CITIZENS MILITIA OF MISSISSIPPI.
I am not against the yanking as a training method, but I am concerned about the hitting on the underbelly. That does seem over the top. However, it might be an accepted training method.
similar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Highway_Patrol_K-9_incident
Some K9 training courses do this. Not long ago, a citizen filmed an officer abusing his K9 behind a police station the same way. No action was taken when it was proven that it was standard training. The police chief did say they would reconsider the training protocol.