Mission: Caught on Video—Police Officer Punches K-9 in the Face

Posted by Calvin on July 01, 2024

Vid footage recorded by a bystander shows what appears to be a Fayetteville, North Carolina, police officer abusing a K-9 in public on a Saturday afternoon in late June. 😱 If watching it leaves you shook, please help make sure no other K-9s are harmed this way. Heads up—the vid is really disturbing, so don’t feel like you have to watch it.

In the footage, the officer is seen holding the dog by the collar so that his front legs are off the ground. The officer punches the animal in the face at least three times with a closed fist. 😰 The officer then drags the dog by the collar toward a police car, and the K-9 turns his head and nips at the officer but doesn’t appear to make contact. The officer grabs the dog by the muzzle—forcing his mouth shut—and then swings him around by the collar while still holding his mouth closed. 😡

The Fayetteville Police Department released a statement that the incident “is being investigated by [its] internal affairs office”—but dogs like this K-9 need more than just an investigation. PETA is calling for the K-9 to be removed from the abusive handler immediately, for the officer to be reassigned to duties that don’t involve interaction with animals, and for the agency to review and revise its policies to use only humane K-9 training methods. If the department can’t commit to handling K-9s without abusing them, it should stop using dogs altogether.

What You Can Do

If you agree with us, please send a message to the Fayetteville Police Department. By doing so, you’ll help make sure no other K-9s are abused by this police department—and you’ll also earn double peta2 points in our Rewards Program. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Use the Fayetteville Police Department’s online form to send your message. You can also comment on one of the department’s IG posts. You can use the following text as a template, but please keep your message polite and respectful.

I was shocked and deeply upset to see the video of a Fayetteville police officer repeatedly punching a K-9 in the face. This type of abuse would normally lead to charges of cruelty to animals and assaulting a law-enforcement agency animal. Please remove the dog from the perpetrator’s custody immediately and reassign the officer to duties that don’t involve animals. If your agency deems this officer’s actions “acceptable,” you need to stop using K-9s in any way.

Please don’t try to excuse this officer’s actions as “training” or attempt to explain that K-9s aren’t “pets.” There’s no reason for this violence by one of your officers. Anyone who’s capable of losing their temper on an animal in this manner has no business in public service. Violence doesn’t take place in a vacuum, and those who abuse animals are more likely to abuse humans as well. Please use only humane training methods or eliminate the K-9 unit altogether. The world is watching.

2. Take a screenshot of your message and submit it for 15 30 peta2 points. You’ll earn double the rewards points all summer long for taking action to help animals on peta2.com! (Heads-up: You’ll only get points once for taking this action.)