Officer Manhandles Police Dog

Police dogs are specially trained, highly valuable partners to their human law enforcement experts. They’re able to sniff out drugs, help search for missing people, and perform any number of other important police tasks.

They serve in our cities and on faraway battlefields as part of our military, helping humans complete their jobs and stay safe.

They are living creatures, capable of feeling both happiness and pain.

They are not merely tools, however. They are living creatures, capable of feeling both happiness — that thumping tail that goes crazy when seeing a beloved human couldn’t be clearer — and pain. Dogs are called man’s best friend for a good reason.

Their bond with their human is strong and enduring. Watch any video of a dog reuniting with a service member upon his or her return from a tour of duty for absolute feel-good proof that dogs will wait for their humans – forever.

Now, a Peoria, Arizona, police force is in hot water after a video taken by a citizen watching from across the street showed an officer manhandling his canine partner. The man snapped the dog’s leash (which is connected to the dog’s neck), then whipped the dog with the same leash. Then the officer, as shown below, appeared to kick the dog.

The person filming the video can be heard saying, “He’s kicking the dog. What the hell?”

The Peoria Police Department says it is investigating.

“Our canine partners are valuable members of our team, and we want to ensure that all policies, protocols and training were followed in this incident,” the department said in a statement. “As such, we are currently conducting a full investigation regarding the events that took place.”

Unfortunately, the Peoria, Illinois, Police Department — far from Arizona — is taking heat after being incorrectly identified as the police force that employs the accused dog-abusing officer.

“It is a shame that police departments have to post positive pictures of officers doing things to combat the negative views of a few,” said a post Wednesday morning on the Peoria (Illinois) Police Department’s Facebook page. “Officers go above and beyond on a daily basis.”