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RSPCA accept police assurance they didn’t actually hit the dog with capsicum spray

Policeman pepper sprays dog

FIVE days after the incident went public the RSPCA have made a public statement on the video of a police officer pepper spraying a chained dog.

We have continued to be in touch with the AFP regarding this incident. Many people may not realise that police officers are also authorised by the Animal Welfare Act as animal cruelty inspectors. Since the original complaint went to the AFP rather than to RSPCA ACT, they are obligated to continue with this investigation even though it is an internal case.

Since our RSPCA inspectors are not armed or trained in self-defence by us, we often work with the AFP to handle the more difficult cases. In these other incidents, we have found their officers to be quite professional and to take their duties regarding animal welfare very seriously. The fact that this recent incident has occurred by an authorised animal cruelty inspector as a police officer is disturbing. However, it has not been something that we have witnessed before from other officers.

We have offered our assistance to the AFP in this matter. They have told us that the dog was not actually hit by the capsicum spray. However, they did not know whether or not it was hit by the stick that was thrown. We will continue to stay in touch with them as their internal investigation progresses, and will let you know about any new information that we might receive regarding this case.

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5 Responses to RSPCA accept police assurance they didn’t actually hit the dog with capsicum spray

Rhiannon says: 24 June 2014 at 3:54 pm

So what if it didn’t hit? It was aimed to hit a tied up dog. The fact that they sprayed the dog and then threw a stick is outrageous. Ask the vet the dog went to if the dog had sore dry eyes before taking their word for it!

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Hari says: 25 June 2014 at 2:14 pm

The headline of this article is very misleading. The RPSCA’s press statement says “[The AFP] have told us that the dog was not actually hit by the capsicum spray”. Nowhere in the statement does it say that the RSPCA accepts this version of the events as correct, the RSPCA is just repeating what they were told.

Internet sensationalism at its finest.

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John Griffiths says: 25 June 2014 at 3:12 pm

Hari the RSPCA were four days in responding, running dead on the issue and have chosen to run the police response uncritically. you can make of it what you want but well done for spotting this is indeed a website.

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Hari says: 25 June 2014 at 5:20 pm

John, the RPSCA actually responded on 20 June 2014 via a post on their facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152031292607574&id=71221232573&fref=nf) in which they state “this video shows inexcusable behaviour towards a dog that is tethered and obviously cannot hurt that officer.”

So good job for trying to read the lines and come up with an exciting headline to get the masses outraged, but I think you’ll find that you’ll have better luck if you research a little more thoroughly.

Citynews: Well written, well read?

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