To Mr. Casey's comment, yes, we're very mindful of the concern of animal cruelty, but as Mr. Zigayer has just said, this is a specific offence. It deals with enforcement animals. One can easily see that a reaction perhaps would be unexpected if a dog is bearing down on an accused, so therefore there's the necessity of having a wilful intent to harm that animal when the accused is in a situation of complete panic.
On May 6th, 2015. See this statement in context.