'He did what he could': Internet supports LAPD officer who used baton to defend police horse against unleashed dog

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Police Department officers had an unanticipated face-off with an unleashed dog that attacked one of their horses. The brawl later ended with one of the officers beating the pooch and in all of this Internet was on the officer's side. 

In a video shared by @deadhomiess._ account on Instagram, 2 cops were seen patrolling Melrose Ave in LA while on horseback when, all of a sudden, an unleashed dog ran into the frame out of nowhere and began to nip at the legs of the police horse, which still has one of the officers on it.

What did the cops do?

In response to the attack, the other cop on the scene jumps down from his horse as seen in the video, and begins swinging his baton at the little pooch and he seems to make contact a few times.

The horse starts to buck and become agitated as the dog tries to avoid the blows and chases after it. The cop seated up there has been doing everything in his power to calm the animal and bring it under control, but to put it mildly, the situation seemed to be difficult.

The dog's alleged owner eventually shows up and retrieves his pet, but he too has issues with it. Before the dog and its owner leave, the ground-level officer gives the dog one final good hit. That's when everything calms down.

Law enforcement, as per TMZ, said that the incident actually happened a good year or so ago even though the video is just now making the rounds online.

Additionally, the dog and the two horses ended up being all right, and the horses were checked on by a veterinarian afterward. The dog jumped out of a car window there on the street, which is why it didn't have a leash on it. 

The matter was settled after a discussion between the owner and the cops. 

Internet sides with LAPD cops

The video went viral on the Internet almost a year after the incident. A user on Facebook wrote, "I love dog, I have had dogs my entire life! But I'm with the officer. He had every right to defend and the dog should have been on a leash!"

Another user wrote, "The situation was handled properly. The horse was startled and bitten. The dog was not backing down. It a wonder they didn't use lethal force on the dog. Thank goodness the horse wasn't injured worse. Horses often get injured badly in situations such as this. If you haven't ever dealt with horses, you might not realize this."

A user wrote, "Great job officer! We have leash laws for a reason." A user opined saying, "I love and adore dogs but also am a horse owner. Horses have a fight or flight reaction so to protect horse and officer safety, he did what he could and should have."

Another user said, "There's a reason for leash laws. Here is a prime example!" A next user wrote, "I'm on the side of the officer on this one the dog clearly went after the horse, he could've flipped The officer off or wounded the horse The horse officer has every right to protect his partners in this instance."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.