A video of a Transportation Security Administration employee went viral on social media over how he was handling the police bomb-sniffing dog.
The employee, from Wayne County, Michigan, was suspended after the clip from Detroit Metro Airport appeared to show him aggressively yanking the pup’s leash as they walked across the airport terminal.
The clip, filmed from the Delta Sky Club, was posted back on May 7, 2023, but was recently unearthed and went viral again.
At the time, someone shared the video on Reddit and wrote: “I was shocked at how this airport handler is dragging this poor pup around. There’s no reason anyone should be flipping a working dog around by its harness like this.”
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TSA released a statement the following day: “The behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standards we hold our officers to.”
The staff member was suspended and removed from handling duties, while the dog was taken to the veterinarian for a check-over.
K-9 dogs are trained to support law enforcement and undergo specialist training to protect residents from threats and violence.
The video has since gone viral again on Twitter, although it’s nearly a year old.
While the canines may be walked up and down as part of training, other experts have expressed their disappointment and upset over how the handler was pulling the dog’s lead.
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