CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Friday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shared a press release with 3NEWS sharing requests it submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Jan. 1.
According to the release, PETA sent a letter to Border Protection officials requesting that the K-9 seen being kneed multiple times by its handler in a recent viral video be released from that agent’s custody and that the officer be reassigned to duties that do not involve animals.
The animal rights organization requested that investigation into the incident be conducted by a third party like the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office.
Lastly, PETA recommended that the agency complete a thorough review of policies and training for handlers, including behavior correction techniques approved by veterinarians.
“If a border patrol agent was bold enough to repeatedly knee a K-9 in full view of waiting cars, the thought of what could be happening to this dog out of public sight is truly chilling,” PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said. “PETA is calling on the agency to remove the dog from this callous person’s custody at once and make good on its word for a robust investigation.”
PETA tracks cases of abuse against K-9 on its website here.
Below is the original story before updates.
The US Border Patrol RGV sector is responding in the wake of a viral video taken by a Corpus Christi resident that alleges animal abuse of a K-9 at the Falfurrias checkpoint.
The video posted to social media on New Year’s Day has sparked outrage from the online community who are demanding action.
The chief patrol agent for the RGV sector responded in a statement that a full investigation will be conducted and to, “be assured that our K9 is safe.”
“She’s kneeing him. Oh my God,” you could hear in the video that was taken from a car at the checkpoint.
The incident caught on cellphone video shows what appears to be a checkpoint agent striking a K-9 multiple times with her knee behind a booth before the two returned to duty.
In the post, witness Jessica Pena said she tried to get out of her car to ask the agent to stop but was told to get back inside.
In the post she says she was told the agents discipline their dogs in their own way.
3NEWS showed the short videos to local dog trainer Sergio Esquivel with Harley and Sergio Dog Training or SK9.
“People are gonna say, ‘Hey, you didn’t see what happened before, you know, they could have been doing this, they could’ve been doing that,’ It doesn’t matter,” Esquivel said. “Absolutely concerning, I should never correct my dog in a manner they don’t understand.”
“It should never be personal when I bring my hands to my dog, it should be something good, right? So if I hit my dog when I bring that body part near them, they’re more likely to bite it,” Esquivel added.
He said when a dog is corrected, it needs to be done immediately after the undesired action in order for the dog to understand why.
“The dog was just sitting there and at that point the dog has no idea how to turn off the correction, [thinking] ‘how do I stop her from kneeing me,’ ” Esquivel said.
A dog owner himself, he said attempting to discipline a dog incorrectly can actually affect its ability to work.
“There for three main reasons when we’re talking about the checkpoints, right,” he said. “They’re either searching for humans, drugs, or parts of humans, right? So at this point the dog’s gonna start losing their confidence. They’re not gonna understand what they did wrong, so they’re going to indicate more often to please the handler, right? And now false indications happen and that impacts the public.”
Esquivel brought his dog Teddy with him to demonstrate proper dog training.
“He is a true working dog, so he is very similar to the Belgian Malinois you see out at the checkpoints,” he said.
3NEWS asked him if kneeing a dog is ever okay.
“I’ve worked with world-class handlers before, kneeing is not okay, absolutely not,” Esquivel said.
He demonstrated a proper correction technique for 3NEWS.
Esquivel hopes officials will take witness accounts into consideration during the investigation.
“Definitely look at what happened before, try and understand the behavior and then honestly look at how she handles the dog that’s gonna tell you a lot about the relationship,” he said.
The US Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector responded to the allegations with the following statement:
“The U.S. Border Patrol takes every allegation seriously. Our K9s are extremely valuable to our border security mission. We love our dogs. They are very special law enforcement partners. Any mistreatment or abuse by their handlers will not be tolerated in any capacity. “
“We very much appreciate the public for making us aware of the incident that took place at the Falfurrias Checkpoint. We have made proper notifications to conduct a full investigation into this event. Be assured that our K9 is safe.
“I appreciate all your love, concern, and support for our K9 partners. Be assured our K9s and their safety will always be a top priority. “
– Gloria I. Chavez Chief Patrol Agent