A federal agent is under fire for the way he handled a bomb-sniffing dog in a Detroit airport. A video of the agent yanking the dog aggressively went viral on Sunday. Subsequently, animal advocates and dog lovers have spoken out about the mistreatment.
Agent mishandles bomb-sniffing dog
According to The Detroit News, ProfessionalEye3568 originally posted the controversial video on Reddit. In the clip, a member of the Transportation Security Administration is inexplicably pacing the floor of the McNamara Terminal. He walks against foot traffic with the dog on a leash. Then, when he reaches the end of the walkway, the handler jerks the leash. At some points, he drags the dog by the neck. Also, the man seems to be speaking or muttering angrily throughout the video.
The original poster took the video from the Delta Sky Club at the airport. She is the owner of a high-energy dog. As such, she initially thought the man had a misbehaving canine on his hands. However, as the video continued, she realized the handler was excessively aggressive with the dog.
“I was shocked at how this airport handler is dragging this poor pup around,” she wrote. “There’s no reason anyone should be flipping a working dog around by its harness like this.”
Federal agency responds to viral video backlash
In a statement, the federal agency said it shared the video with its Detroit office. Additionally, the agency confirmed that it is investigating the incident. Finally, the agency claimed the worker in the video would not handle any other dogs pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standards we hold our officers to,” the agency said in a statement.
Furthermore, the TSA requested that the Detroit office provide the dog with a wellness exam by a veterinarian. Finally, the agency confirmed that the dog works on the TSA explosive detection team.
We hope this pup gets the proper training, as well as the affectionate care, it deserves. Service dogs play an important role in society and deserve respect.
Curious about what defines a service dog? Check out our guide to the differences between working, service, and emotional support dogs.
