Border Patrol agent under investigation

By Veronica Flores-Herrera , Eran Hami

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    FALFURRIAS, Texas (KRIS) — The U.S. Border Patrol has launched an investigation after video of an agent kneeing a K9 officer at the Falfurrias checkpoint was posted on social media.

“I saw her dragging a dog and he was down, covered up and she dragged him to the side of the building. I started honking because I saw her hit him,” Jessica Pena said in a phone interview.

On Wednesday at 2:51 p.m., Jessica Pena, from Corpus Christi, was at the checkpoint when she said she saw a Border Patrol agent drag the K9 to the side of the building and started kneeing him. Pena began recording the incident with her cell phone and said she tried to get out of her car to find out what was happening, but agents yelled at her and told her to get back in her car. She said the agents said the dog was choking. She posted the video on TikTok and Facebook, and in hours, that video garnered several views and the attention of the U.S. Border Patrol.

“They just told me the dog was choking and kind of smirked about it. And I said, he’s not choking because she’s kicking him,” Pena said.

Chris Garlinghouse has worked with pets and law enforcement dogs for decades with his business, Sheepdog K9 Consulting (SDK9C). He called the video “disturbing” to see.

“Whether it’s choking or whether it’s a correction to a behavioral issue, kneeing of the K9, either of those, it’s not a corrective behavior or a resuscitative nature, behavior or any of that,” he said. “A Choking dog is going to be just like a choking person. You can perform the Heimlich, you can check airway obstruction.”

While Pena’s video doesn’t show what led to the agent kneeing the K9 nor what the K9 was doing, Pena noted in her social media post, the dog was walking with it’s tail between it’s legs afterwards.

“Usually indicates submissive behavior like, hey man I give up, we’re good, you’re the alpha, you’re in charge,” Garlinghouse said.

Garlinghouse said there’s no set way when it comes to K9 handling and every dog should be treated uniquely. However, he is against using fear to correct behavior.

“Fear is not a way to induce compliance,” he said. “A relationship is how you start and you build upon that. You build that trust, you earn each other’s trust, you are a team.”

Pena wasn’t expecting the video to go viral, but she does want a result to come out of it.

“They need to do something where they actually say, hey this agent was taken off the job for so long. She’s no longer taking—I don’t think any dogs should be under her care, ever,” Pena said.

Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the US Border Patrol RGV Sector posted the following statement on its Facebook page:

“The U.S. Border Patrol takes every allegation seriously. Our K9s are extremely valuable to our border security mission. We love our dogs. They are very special law enforcement partners. Any mistreatment or abuse by their handlers will not be tolerated in any capacity. “

“We very much appreciate the public for making us aware of the incident that took place at the Falfurrias Checkpoint. We have made proper notifications to conduct a full investigation into this event. Be assured that our K9 is safe.”

“I appreciate all your love, concern, and support for our K9 partners. Be assured our K9s and their safety will always be a top priority. “

-Signed Chief Patrol Agent of the Rio Grande Valley Sector Gloria Chavez

This is a developing story. Check back here on KRISTV.com for the latest updates on this investigation.

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