A short cellphone video of a routine vet visit in Colorado Springs is now at the center of a licensing fight, a cease-and-desist order, and a whole lot of uncomfortable questions about who is allowed to treat a police dog.
The clip, released by the Regional Transportation District after a public records request, appears to show an RTD Police Department K-9 named Milo biting a woman identified as Jena Stiles on the forearm during what was supposed to be a standard exam for an ear infection. State regulators say Stiles was not legally allowed to practice veterinary medicine and have ordered her to stop.
RTD officials say they turned over and then publicly released the video as part of that request, and that staff believed Milo was being seen by a licensed veterinarian. According to KDVR, agency records documenting the incident were already on file before the footage became public.
What the video shows
The short recording captures Milo and his handler in an exam setting while Stiles appears to be working around the dog. In the middle of the visit, Milo lunges and bites her forearm, and Stiles reacts right away. The visible injury is brief, but it is clear enough to have sparked a regulatory firestorm…