A California animal control officer is facing criticism after a video emerged, depicting him dragging a young dog by its neck and roughly tossing it into a van.
This event took place on August 22 near a business in Beaumont, as reported by Nikkie Thompson, who captured the scene and initially shared it on social media.
The footage quickly gained traction on platforms shared by animal welfare organizations, such as the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation, a non-profit devoted to rescuing severely mistreated and neglected animals.
Thompson said the dog – a puppy under a year old – had wandered onto the property.
She gave it food and water while waiting for animal control to respond.
However, when the officer finally arrived, she said, he made dismissive remarks about the dog and became visibly irritated when she began recording.
‘He’s very sweet, gave him food and water, just wanted to be loved,’ Thompson wrote in her original Facebook post.
Criticism has been directed at the officer after the video showed him dragging a young dog by its neck and forcefully throwing it into a van.
The dog, a puppy thought to be less than a year old, had strayed onto the Beaumont premises before an employee contacted animal control to manage the stray pup.
‘Animal control showed up and first thing out his mouth [was], “Ughhh how disgusting. I wish this dog was gone before I got here.”‘
The recording depicts the officer using a control pole to catch the animal, then dragging it for several feet, before lifting it by the neck and throwing it into the rear of the van.
Thompson said she tried to report the incident to police, but officers offered no assistance.
‘He got mad at me for recording him… and the cops were no help. They seemed not to care,’ she wrote.
The Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation later applauded Thompson’s actions, calling her a ‘hero’ for documenting what it called unacceptable treatment.
‘It’s shameful that people like this are allowed to work with animals – and the only reason they do it is for a paycheck. A man like this shouldn’t be working with people or animals,’ the animal advocacy organization wrote in a Facebook post.
‘We appreciate this woman stepping up the way she did. To us, she’s a hero.’
In a follow-up post, Thompson said she was contacted by the dog’s owner, who saw the video online and said the dog – named Bolt – had been missing for weeks.
However, when the officer finally arrived, he made dismissive remarks about the dog and became visibly irritated when Nikkie Thompson, an employee at the Beaumont business, began recording
Nikkie Thompson’s (pictured) video was later shared widely by animal welfare groups, including the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation
However, the owner was reportedly told the dog would not be released due to a lack of microchip identification and could be euthanized as early as Monday.
‘The owner of the dog reached out to me. He went missing weeks ago and she came across the video. She called immediately to get her dog back and they told her they won’t release him due to him not being microchipped and they literally told her he will be put down on Monday,’ the worry-stricken Thompson wrote on Facebook.
Later, she said the owner informed her she could no longer care for the dog due to her mother’s health issues, and hoped someone would step forward to adopt him.
‘Sadly due to her mother’s health conditions she won’t be able to care for him anymore. They are financially unstable and losing there home in the process, but she wants him to go to a good home and not be put down,’ Thompson wrote.
As of Saturday, no public comment had been made by Beaumont Animal Control or city officials regarding the officer’s actions or the dog’s status.
Thompson has since posted a response from the animal control center following the distressing incident.
In a follow-up post, Thompson said she was contacted by the dog’s owner, who saw the video online and said the dog – named Bolt – had been missing for weeks
‘Update from Animal Control: This dog is approximately one year old, not neutered, and has likely never received the kind of care he is getting now. He’s scheduled for a routine check-up tomorrow, including vaccinations and treatment for possible mange,’ the post reads.
‘The officer confirmed that his account and the person who took the video match up until a catch pole had to be used. The dog was very scared and has never been on a leash.
‘So the situation changed drastically once the lead and catch pole were involved. There were real risks at that moment – trying to pick up the dog could have resulted in a bite, and leaving the catch pole on too long could have caused injury.’
Daily Mail has reached out to Beaumont Police for comment.
