Dog Abuse

Vacaville Police Defend Officer Caught Repeatedly Punching his K9 Partner

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Video of an unnamed Vacaville, California police officer repeatedly punching his canine partner in the head was posted to social media on Tuesday, prompting outrage from animal advocates and action from the Vacaville Police Department.

Meanwhile, Vacaville Police are defending the officer’s actions.

Video posted to Facebook showed an officer straddling his K9 partner, holding him down to the ground and punching him repeatedly in the head and face. Vacaville Police have not released the name of the officer, but he is said to be in training to become a K9 handler.

Eyewitness, Roberto Palomino, videoed the incident after he heard the dog crying in pain in the area of Vaca Valley Parkway. Palomino said it appeared the officer had been looking around as if trying to sense if anyone was watching while he punched the dog repeatedly in the face. 

“I can still hear the dog crying,” Palomino told CBS News. “There was an officer beating a dog really bad. It was closed-fist punching in the face to a dog. He punched the dog several times before I was able to get it on camera.”

Police Capt. Matt Lydon said the video was taken out of context. He explained that the dog had performed well in narcotics detection training and was rewarded with a toy. When the unnamed officer tried to take the toy back, Capt. Lydon said the dog became aggressive.

“The K-9 lunged in an attempt to bite the handler, and that’s when swift action needs to take place to let the dog know the handler is in charge. That is a position of dominance that you see in the video when the officer straddles the dog,” Lydon said.

When asked if physical punishment is part of the training process, Lydon said, “there are certain scenarios where strikes to the dog can be appropriate.”

Palomino’s full video can be found here.

Vacaville Police later responded to backlash against the officer’s behavior on Facebook:

…We understand how disturbing the video appears to many who view it and the range of emotions it creates. What the video doesn’t show is the moments prior, when the canine became aggressive towards his handler. We want to assure the public this incident is being evaluated in its entirety and will be investigated appropriately.

The response continues, in part:

Although our canines appear to be pets, just like the ones we all have at home; they are quite different in many ways. If left unguided by a handler, the decisions they make could lead to the injury of the dog, an officer or an innocent community member. All training programs are not alike and need to be tailored to the needs of the specific dog and handler. This is generally achieved by a careful balance of physical discipline and reward based training. As with any training program, we are constantly evaluating our policies and procedures for needed improvement. We are still collecting all the information as it pertains to this incident for the purposes of that evaluation.

In an update, the Vacaville Police Department announced that the canine was removed from the officer’s care pending an investigation into the incident. They assured the public that the dog was examined by a veterinarian and found to have no signs of injury or distress from the beating.

At this time, the officer seen in the video is not facing any disciplinary action.

As proponents of science-based, positive training, The Dogington Post absolutely does NOT condone physical punishment as a method of training. It is our assertion that the officer in training be cited for animal cruelty, just as any pet owner caught abusing their dog in the same manner would be.

If you share our concerns, you may express them to the Vacaville Police Department at (707) 449-5200 or to Captain Matt Lydon at (707) 449-5236.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Avatar Of C Hopper

    C Hopper

    Jan 5, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    To hear the police department condoning the actions of the handler beating his K9 about the face numerous times is despicable. What kind of message does this send to the community? That animal abuse is acceptable? There is NO excuse for animal abuse. I don’t care if it’s a cop or a citizen. This should NOT be acceptable OR condoned. Shame on you Vacaville Police Department! Imo, the cop is a coward and is a disgrace to to the uniform he wears AND the police department. Is this the kind of cop they want on the force?

  2. Avatar Of Max

    Max

    Jan 3, 2021 at 11:42 am

    Called. No one answered. He should be fired. No questions asked. If harms a dog this way, imagine how he treats humans. Sounds like the vet they took him too was on police payroll. The officer and the handler are both cowardly human beings, the worst of the worse.

  3. Avatar Of Jill Sauerwein

    Jill Sauerwein

    Jan 2, 2021 at 9:00 am

    This makes me I’ll but sadly it does not surprise me when referencing the Vacaville Police Department. In essence, they treat Vacaville Citizens in the same manner – as underlings. It is the attitude of their officers that it is US vs. THEM. Sadly,the Vacaville Citizens agree. It’s a sad state of affairs with nobody addressing the problem and it has been this way for decades. This behavior of an officer toward an animal does not surprise me in the least…we are all animals to them.

  4. Avatar Of Candy Delaney

    Candy Delaney

    Jan 2, 2021 at 7:31 am

    It doesn’t matter that officer needs to be punished that animal has rights just like humans does, if it was someone else doing that. That person would have be in trouble with the law .

  5. Avatar Of M Thomson

    M Thomson

    Jan 2, 2021 at 5:06 am

    Disgusting dogs lives matter too, this is why black people turn against police!, if they treat their animals like this, then how do they treat people. No wonder this poor animal turned against its trainer if it’s regularly beaten!
    Lock the bastard up & give him a beating!

  6. Avatar Of Linda

    Linda

    Jan 1, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    100% PECKERHEAD

  7. Avatar Of Scharlee Hackett

    scharlee Hackett

    Jan 1, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    He should never be a handler. The dog lunged at him cause he has abused him before. There is no reason to ever punch a dog repeatedly in the face. It’s abuse, no way around it.

  8. Avatar Of Claudine

    Claudine

    Jan 1, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    This is abuse. The handler has no business being paired with a k9 and meeds to be evaluated. K9’s who are aggressive are responding to being treated aggressively. Shame on anyone who condones this abuse. This is criminal behavior!

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