Virginia corrections officers on 'dog fondling' rap
K-9 chicken-choke caught on camera
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Five Virginia Department of Corrections officers are facing misdemeanour animal cruelty charges, after one of them allegedly masturbated a "K-9" police dog while the others caught the action on video.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Melvin Boone, 40, Cheri Campbell, 35, Anthony Eldridge, 33, Kelvin Thompson, 25, and Adam R. Webb, 27, were at the at the Academy for Staff Development in Goochland County, training to become dog handlers.
Some time between 16 June and 1 August, Thompson "allegedly had some sexual contact with the animal", as prosecuting attorney Robert B. Beasley Jr. explained.
He elaborated: "Essentially, he was touching the dog's penis with his hand. The others were there filming it. That's actually how we learned of it - there's a video."
Asked why the officers had shot the mutt-fondling vid, Beasley admitted: "I don't have the slightest idea - I really don't."
The quintet of dog botherers were shopped by another corrections officer who saw the footage, and they now face a possible year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Thompson's lawyer, Terry N. Grimes, said his client "plans to plead not guilty, but admitted to fondling the animal". He explained that his client was told by the others: "If you masturbate your K-9 unit, you'll have greater control over it."*
Grimes reckons Beasley will have a hard time making the charges stick. He said: "The statute is not set up to deal with this type of thing. I don't think the legislature quite had this in mind."
Beasly, though, insisted he'd "consulted with the state veterinarian's office before filing the charges". The five perps escaped a felony rap because in Viginia this would require proof they had "carnal knowledge" of a "brute beast". This, Beasley clarified, implies intercourse.
Trial is set for 20 November, except in the case of Webb, who'll appear in court on 11 December. Their unnamed victim, "a German shepherd or shepherd mix", was unharmed in the incident, the Richmond Times-Dispatch notes. ®
Bootnote
* Our informant Mike Richards notes: "You know, I'm almost certain Tom Baker never said that to Leela."
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COMMENTS
@Dingo Mike
"Still, back on topic: Masturbating a dog in and of itself isn't harmful. Period. To call this "animal cruelty" is ridiculous."
Mu.
THAT said, in the not quite 50 years I've been breeding, training and working with animals, including my time training K9s and my time as an AKC judge[1], I have never, not once, ever, heard a professional suggest that masturbating dogs is a good training technique. I HAVE, however, heard of it being used to haze newbies. If your local group of dog folks think it's a good technique, I respectfully suggest that you have been had.
Consider: Dogs "hump" to demonstrate they are Alpha. Bitches do, too. So do Alpha mares, Alpha milk cows, and Alpha sheep and goats. Same for any other pack or herd animal. If you allow them to "hump" you, you become their bitch. End of discussion.
[1] Herding, working, sporting and hound groups (with a side of non-sporting when I was trying to get Standard Poodles back to sporting, where they belong) ... in theory, I can judge BIS, but I'm not interested in the politics involved ... and I have better things to do with my weekends these days. Probably did then, too :-)
@jake
Ah, I see where you are coming from. I was speaking purely from the perspective of handling the genitals in some way during AI, not using masturbation as the sole method of collecting semen. Certainly, the old fashioned method of Crumping a stallion for semen collection isn't as effective as using a teaser mare and an AV, but it's still used in some practices. Dogs seem to produce a better ejaculate when appropriately massaged behind the glans; better in the sense that the sperm-rich fraction is ejected more thoroughly before thinning out, though I know some vets like to mix the second and third fractions in the belief that it actually helps preserve the semen better during cryo. Never really believed that myself.
Still, back on topic: Masturbating a dog in and of itself isn't harmful. Period. To call this "animal cruelty" is ridiculous.
@Dingo Mike
Yes, I know what it means. Did you even bother reading mine? We ship the stuff all over the world, equine and canine, cryo-packed for your enjoyment. And no, no Vet I have ever worked with (and there have been quite a few over the years) has resorted to manual canine genital manipulation in order to get a sample for cryo. Why bother? Essence of bitch in heat is cheap, simply provide a proper receptacle and nature takes care of the rest. Same for the horses, although we usually have a mare (or twenty ...) in season, so the bottled stuff is unnecessary.
On the other hand, if your vet enjoys it ... well, who am I to judge?
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