A video of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent appearing to knee a K-9 at the Falfurrias checkpoint has prompted an investigation, as the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) responded to the incident by sending a formal letter to CBP requesting that the agent be reassigned to duties without animal contact.
The video, recorded on January 1 and widely circulated on social media, led to calls for accountability from advocacy groups and assurances from CBP officials.
Gloria I. Chavez, Chief Patrol Agent for the Rio Grande Valley Sector, issued a statement on the organization's Facebook page acknowledging the video and emphasizing the agency's commitment to the welfare of its working dogs:
"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."
STATEMENT U. S. Border Patrol Falfurrias Checkpoint K9 Incident "The U.S. Border Patrol takes every allegation seriously. Our K9s are extremely valuable to our border security mission. We love...
However, The Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Union released a separate statement the following day on it's own Facebook page defending the agent's actions. According to the union, the behavior seen in the video was a corrective technique taught at the Border Patrol's canine training academy:
"The incident in question involves a canine handler correcting the behavior of her canine partner; however, as is oftentimes the case in "viral" videos, only one side of the story is put out. The video shows the agent utilizing proper corrective techniques as she was trained to do by the Border Patrol's own canine handler instructors. The agent, as are all certified Border Patrol canine handlers, is a graduate of the USBP canine academy, a rigorous course in which prospective handlers are trained on how to ensure that they are the "alpha" over the canine, which includes immediate corrections for a myriad of issues, to include disobedience"
In response, PETA's letter, shared by Valley Central, calls on the CBP to not only have the agent in the video reassigned, but to review its policies towards K-9 handlers altogether:
"Based on our experience with similar cases across the nation, we recommend a thorough review of policies and training for K-9 handlers—including proper first aid techniques, approved by veterinarians, if dogs are in fact choking—so that only nonviolent, humane methods are used. Not only is such violence cruel, it's also ineffective. Experts agree that dogs learn and maintain desirable behavior best when trained with a reward-based system and that frightening or traumatic treatment induces fear and anxiety"
PETA's statement also recognized that acts like those depicted in the video are "deeply upsetting for the communities that look to them (authorities) not only to uphold the law but also to act as role models" and suggests that if the CBP is unable to guarantee the humane treatment of K9s then they should be replaced "with state-of-the-art technology, such as tactical robots, drones, or portable mass spectrometers."
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
