Arkansas State Trooper’s Arrest of Dying Dog’s Frantic Guardian Prompts PETA Call for Empathy Training

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

A now-viral video shows an Arkansas State Trooper angrily arresting a visibly distraught woman who sped through an intersection as she rushed to a veterinarian to save her mother’s dying dog, even yelling, “I don’t give a shit!” to the woman as she cried and pleaded for understanding. The dog did not survive. In response, PETA is firing off a letter to Arkansas State Police Chief Mike Hagar, calling for all state troopers to undergo empathy training. Below, please find a statement from PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch:

Anyone who has ever had a beloved companion animal face a life-or-death emergency can relate to this woman’s extreme distress, and the trooper’s shockingly unsympathetic response not only added to the trauma but also portrayed law enforcement officials as unkind, uncaring, and unprofessional. Our hearts are with this now grieving family, and PETA is calling on Arkansas State Police to take the necessary steps to ensure that its officers approach every interaction with empathy and consideration.

PETA notes that the Arkansas State Police should follow the lead of the Cornelius Police Department in North Carolina, which announced earlier this year that it would reinforce its training procedures to “ensure that all personnel respond professionally, respectfully, and with empathy in every situation” after one of its officers reprimanded a good Samaritan for entering an unlocked truck on a 90-degree day to offer water to a clearly distressed dog trapped inside.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.