Pets and police brutality: The need to take action on unexplored issue

Clips of the incident, which resulted in two dogs being killed and their owner being tasered, quickly went viral. Apparently, there are some things that resonate in people regardless of who they are and where they come from, and one of these is the inherent love for pets.

Statistics support this global empathy. The pet industry is a major economic driving force. In the United States alone, it contributes a whopping $136.8 billion to the economy. Majority, or 66 percent, of households in the US own a pet, 78 percent of which were acquired during the pandemic. This coincides with the period when the global mental health crisis reached an all-time high, following the isolation caused by lockdowns. Pets easily turn into friends, which explains the overwhelming empathy with the dogs’ owners that people demonstrated following the incident seen in the viral video.

The incident happened in East London on May 7, with the Independent Office for Police (IOPC) announcing an investigation into the actions of the Met police. The police arrived at the scene following a report of a dog attack and approached the owner, Louie Turnbull, who had two dogs on their leash. After a stand-off between the police and the dogs’ owner, the police shot the animals despite their lack of aggressive behavior and tasered the owner. Horrified onlookers were unable to do anything to de-escalate the situation, but some managed to record the encounter. Both dogs were killed at the scene. The younger one, Millions, was a nine-month-old puppy. The other dog was named Marshall.

The Met police stated later that the “aggressive behavior of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them.” However, following the outcry of on-site witnesses, the IOPC launched an independent investigation. Beyond London, hundreds of thousands signed an online petition calling for the Met police to be “held accountable for the barbaric killing of two leashed dogs.” Advocates protested “police brutality” as a betrayal of the very values that law enforcement is supposed to uphold—fairness, equality, and respect for dignity. Several movements also started to raise legal funds.

Dr. Kendal Shepherd and Helen Howell, leading experts on clinical animal behavior, said in a statement, “It is immediately apparent from videos of the incident circulating on social media, that the attending officers had little experience on how to recognize or deal with the unit that is comprised of any owner accompanied by their dogs. Arriving already brandishing handcuffs, tasers, and shotguns is not the way to go about it.”

They added: “We believe that the inevitable escalation of this incident to its most unnecessary and distressing conclusion is not the fault of the responding officers themselves. There is an evident lack of appropriate training on how to best manage such a situation, which must take any dog’s emotions and perspective into account as a priority. Whatever the severity of injury a dog may have caused, the essential nature of non-threatening communication and negotiation with both species must be recognized and implemented, if needless deaths are to be avoided.”

The sad truth is, there is no way we can bring back the lives lost. We cannot fathom the grief the owner feels right now. But a good way to honor the memory of Marshall and Millions is to remember them as catalysts for lasting positive change. Let’s do what we can to prevent future incidents like this. While we demand justice and accountability from those responsible for the dogs’ death, we must also call for proper training for men in uniform on how to best manage such situations, and for involved agencies to take action on this unexplored issue in the Philippines. After all, to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves is one of the best ways to live out the command of God for humanity to be stewards of creation. In the end, if human justice is unattained, divine justice will account for how well we cared for what was entrusted to us.

Faye Travilla,

nurse and doctor,

South Cotabato