A dog that is kicked in the ribs and hit on the head with a leather belt at the police dog association in Gemonde. This can be seen on video footage obtained by research platform Zembla. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) will prosecute the club chairman.
It is the second time that the police dog association (PHV) Steeds Vooruit in Gemonde has been in the picture of the judiciary, writes Zembla. The club was already discredited in 2021 after Zembla shared images of a member abusing a dog during training.
The images were taken by local residents. It showed a man hitting the animal with a hard plastic hose and holding out a prohibited electric drover. The member was sentenced to community service.
New recordings made
Local residents made new recordings in the summer of 2025 and sent them to Zembla. It shows a dog being abused by the chairman of the association.
The images were forwarded to the police last year. Based on those images, the justice department has now started a criminal investigation, Zembla says.
Does dog wear a power collar?
It also appears from the video footage that the dog is sometimes wearing an electric collar. This is intended to correct the animal with electric shocks. The use of these collars in dog training has been prohibited and punishable since 2022.
Due to the quality of the recordings, it is not entirely certain that the dog is actually wearing such a collar, but the Public Prosecution Service is investigating. The chairman is officially suspected of “mistreating a dog, in which an electric collar may have also been used”, the justice department said.
The chairman of PHV Steeds Vooruit tells Zembla that he did not use a power collar. He also denies kicking the dog. The case will go to trial this spring.
