K-9 Abuse to Draw Dog Defenders for Rally Outside Fayetteville Police Department

For Immediate Release:
July 17, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Holding signs proclaiming, “Protect K-9, Not Cruel Cop!” and “Independent Investigation NOW!” a group of PETA supporters will gather outside the Fayetteville Police Department on Friday to demand justice for a K-9 whose handler was caught on a now-viral video repeatedly punching the dog in the face.

Where: Fayetteville Police Department, 467 Hay St. (near the intersection with Pittman Street), Fayetteville

When: Friday, July 19, 12 noon

The department’s official statement about the incident indicates that an internal investigation found nothing wrong and goes so far as to blame the K-9—who apparently bit the handler due to a fear response—for the abuse. PETA is asking Fayetteville city leaders to engage an external agency to conduct an unbiased, proper investigation into the incident—and calling for the officer involved to be fired, the K-9 retired, and the department to reassess its use of K-9s altogether.

“Punching a dog is cruel, illegal, and a sign that the Fayetteville Police Department’s K-9 program must end,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “Since the department won’t act to protect its K-9s from further abuse, PETA is calling for an independent investigation into this violent incident and the officer responsible.”

Stills taken from the viral video that shows the abuse

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.