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.
Is it training/allowed discipline for K9’s to be hung in the air by throat/collar a foot off the ground? I cannot believe that is proper protocol for disciplining a K9. This officer did it more than once and striking him with a chain. Can anyone imagine what goes on at home? I have NEVER seen an officer treat his valued partner this way. It will be even worse for the K9 to be returned to the same partner……there would probably be much more unseen abuse.
They CALL it “training” and “discipline,” but only after they try to tell you they don’t do it at all. I don’t know how many officers you have never seen treat their “valued partner” this way, but if you have never seen any, you have never seen the vast MAJORITY, who do hang, kick, whip, helicopter, beat, electro-shock, etc. their K9’s. And when they are not using or abusing them, they keep them isolated in a kennel, which is another form of torment for a social animal like a dog. For more info., http://www.stoplynching.com
I’ve never ever done this to my dog and she acts fine. What does this guy do when not on camera? This guy is on the same list as Vick for me. Disgusting!
If it walks like a Hypocrite and talks like a Hypocrite…Well it’s probably a Hypocrite…
As a dog trainer that knows several people who train dogs for police work and having watched the training of several of these dogs sometimes the dog may become over stimulated , however it is hard to tell what is going on in this video and the officer may have been trying to shut the dog down before he got too excited. I don’t advocate this kind of handling of dogs and these methods need to be modified, I do not know why he hit the dog that was extreme. The dog is not in happy posture, should not have been aloud to run to the car on a loose leash the way he did, I strongly suspect he the officer was very close to loosing any control he had on the dog and was concerned he was going to become the recipient of a nasty bite in short time, thus being the reason why the dog was put away quickly.
For those of you tossing Ceaser Milan’s name out here like he would run in and rescue this dog…do you not watch his show?? He is extremely abusive to the dogs, I would not imagine him coming to the rescue of this dog, more then likely he would commend the officer for his proper show of dominance. He is by far on of the most televised abusers of dogs in the world and people seem to worship him for it.
Yes, Brett, he SHOULD be on the same list as Vick. And he should be joined by the vast majority of K9 handlers on that list, as should all the dog fighters. If you want to know more about the mentality behind it, go to http://www.stoplynching.com. AND, Natalie, you are also right about Cesar Milan
I hope all of you whinning about the “whipping” show the same outrage at horse racing as they WHIP the horse harder and for longer..didn’t think so!!!! PHONIES!!!!
Yes, I am opposed to horse racing also. The horsese are abused, in a different manner. These dogs are often hanged by the neck to slowly suffocate until they become unconscious. I can spot you a mile away. You are a dog abuser who is trying to deflect away from the dog abuse and call the people who care about that names. I’ve had a lot of experience with you guys.
Loving discipline? These comments are crazy. I hope none of u have any animal, kids or a spouse.
http://www.stoplynching.com – spread the word
This training technique ( if it is) is a crock of shit. You can train a working police dog without beating it. Is this now LEGAL abuse? Do this in a public park to a regular dog and see what happens. You’ll be in jail getting YOUR ass beat. This officer should be made to serve jailtime. Their badge is nothing more than a piece of metal when officers break the law. He should NEVER be allowed to work with animals. The police department should NOT stand behind this fool. He is an atricious embarrassment to that department and he needs to be mentally evaluated. These German Shepherds are some of the smartest dogs in the world; these dogs are ALSO officers; give them some respect.
I don’t know why I am alerted via email to only one out of several comments, but, once again, this is not an isolated incident, and is not restricted to this cop or this department. For more insight into the sick mentality behind what is masked as ‘training’ (after they get caught doing it), go to http://www.stoplynching.com
Oh and fyi those who use this type of treatment is being called (shadow). By putting a noose around a dog’s neck and yanking them off the ground and suspending them off the ground. This degree of trauma likely will have a ling term effect as does any other abuse to which an individual is exposed, intentional (as in this case) or unintentional. Its been shown that dogs and other animals suffer from long-term depression and PTSD after being traumatized and training techniques that cause trauma shouldn’t be sanctioned and should be strongly opposed. This is being done as a quick fix instead of doing actual training. There has got to be limits as to what is permissible when trying to get dogs to behave in acceptable ways. If anyone saw someone stringing up their dog you would want to call the police…………..but since its clear they are doing it themselves now what???
Yes, calling the police is useless. But I also found out that contacting animal regulation, the humane society, animal rights groups, the city manager, the D.A.’s office, the media, didn’t work either. I tried over and over again for over 20 years. The Internet seems to be the best way to get this info. out.
What a sick person and everyone should rally to get rid of him. also take him smack him around see if it makes him a better cop.
If you want to smack around cops who hang and kick and whip their dogs, you’ll have a career in smacking, because the vast majority of them do it. For more info about the sick mentality behind it, visit http://www.stoplynching.com. The links are at the bottom of the home page.
I hope they get this figured out ASAP and re-evaluate both their k9 and k9 handler training methods. Fingers crossed they contact a real trainer though, someone with knowledge and understanding of dog behavior, NOT Cesar Milan.
I am still trying to figure out, where people got the idea that this guy is trying to get a ball away from the dog, there is NO BALL in this video!!!
This is by no means an isolated incident or restricted to this officer or his department. It is rampant, and it is SICK, and for more insight into the mentality behind it, go do http://www.stoplynching.com
Ok this is abuse. As said K9 training does not include
Lifting the dog off the ground or whipping on the belly. This piece of shit pig should be whipped and chocked with a rope the same way.
It is sad to see this type of treatment done in the name of training still today. We know better now about how dogs learn and risks from this type of treatment.
This man should be arrested and charged with assault if a police officer.
applauding sharon… THANK YOU
I am not sure what you are replying too? My original post was asking people to leave a celebrity actor/trainer out of this discusion. The comments about him here are not appropriate. As for what happened to this dog…. I am appalled at the policemens behavior towards his K9 partner. He should not have any dogs or pets in his household let alone have one as a working partner. So your reply to me is somewhat baffling? I also didn’t address anyone personally…. But you did…. So are you trying to attack me?
Educated dog trainers know how to train dogs without resorting to this officers actions…. They also can teach regular owners how to train without getting bit and hurt. I would seek these kinds of trainers out before asking someone who proudly wears all his bites all over his body as a sign he has experience. Don’t you agree?
pa licetti does that include the couple who was raising piitbulls and other dogs and their pitbulls attacked and nearly devoured a innocent woman.. anyone who thinks THAT THERE IS A BOOK ON HUMAN OR ANIMAL BEHAVIOR IS SUSPECT!!!!
animals have feelings also. and its those like you who are the first to yell the loudest when pets aka dogs who were not raised in so called abusive situations turn around and attack and kill……… get over yourself. cesar milan has more expertise with dogs because he was actually raised around them as opposed to believing a book could help him learn.. such as your so called experts.. no 2 animals or humans and yes that includes identical twins are the same….. i was raised around german shepherds my whole life and have never seen a training method that calls for hitting them in the stomach with a chain while choking the air out of them by holding them up in the air by a chain..
how about taking up the challenge of allowing someone to train you in that manner. lets see how you feel and react…..
im guessing you’re definitely a reptilian hybrid
Look. This was wrong, you do not have to treat a dog like that in order to make him behave. You do not pick a dog up in the air choking him and possibly causing damage to him from the collar. This abuse against a k9 officer. IF they were chasing someone and that person did something to that k9 officer they would press charges for assaulting an officer. This dog deserves respect and what he did was WRONG. I do not care if you say you have seen other officers do this as training, it is still wrong, inhumane and animal cruelty. And if you want to challenge what I say, go out and put a collar around your child’s neck and whenever they misbehave pick them up and let them hang and see if you don’t get your ass thrown in jail.
you show your ignorance when you think a professional who has gotten bitten in the arms, in the legs, in the hands knows what he is doing? That would be like going to a dentist who has a mouth fuill of cavities or a set of dentures at the age of 30? I wouldn’t knock education…… it saves people from dog bites.
Could everyone leave Cesar out of this. He actually doesn’t have any real credentials to his name other then his grandfather had a farm of dogs growing up. ASK THE REAL EXPERTS ON DOGS….. Let’s see… Dr. Patricia McConell at University of Wisconsin, Dr. Dodman at Tufts, Dr. Ian Dunbar in Ca, Dr. Hetts and Estep in Co., Bob Bailey and Parvene Farhoudy in Fla., Dr. Overall in Pa, Karen Pryor, San Francisco’s SPCA Jean Donaldson, Trish King, Best Friends Trainers, anyone from The Pet Professional Guild……….These are the experts who teach people how to train humanely without getting bit by their students. There are Veterinary Behavior Clinics and Shelters across the country who actually know. Leave someone who hasn’t even taken the cpdt test alone. (test of basic dog behavior) from the apdt. (association of professional dog trainers) I hope Mr. Turley…. if dogs everywhere needed legal representation…. they could count on you! It is way past time to clean the dog training world up.
The only credentials Cesar has is the FACT of his expertise. He has more dog smarts than any PhD. When a PhD can get dogs to behave as Cesar can make them,THEN I will grant them some credit, NOT before.