Animal control officer placed on leave for allegedly mistreating dog

MOUNT CLEMENS — A Mount Clemens animal control officer is on administrative leave after a video surfaced on social media allegedly showing him mistreating a dog.

On April 12, a 14-second clip was posted anonymously to the Macomb County Scanner Facebook group. The video allegedly showed a Mount Clemens animal control officer using a trap line to grab the dog before dragging it to the street, a post accompanying the video said.

“He dragged the dog by the neck from the back of the yard all the way to the street,” the post said. “The dog was scared and thrashed the whole way. The gentleman didn’t show any sense of compassion as if he were in a rush.”

Once the officer had the dog at the truck, he then reportedly lifted it by his neck using the trap line and it began bleeding from the mouth, the post alleged. The officer then “slammed the dog onto the tailgate and was unable to get the line to release for a bit.”

“Not sure what you can do but I hate to see anyone treat a dog like that,” the poster said.

At press time, the post had over 1,600 comments and 707 shares, as well as a number of follow-up posts.

Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp also took to social media to make a statement about the incident.

“The mission of those that serve as Mt Clemens Animal Control officers is to ensure compassionate treatment for all the animals they encounter,” she posted.

Kropp said the officer has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. She said the owner has been reunited with the dog and that the city is working to ensure the health and safety of the dog are guaranteed.