That’s ruff.
NYPD dog handlers claim they’re getting stiffed on overtime pay as their jobs require them to live with and take care of the canines around-the-clock, court papers show.
The eight cops — all lieutenants and sergeants who either currently or formerly worked as K-9 officers — want the city to pay them for the time they spend training and grooming the pooches at home, according to their Manhattan federal lawsuit filed earlier this month.
The handlers bath, brush, exercise, feed, groom and clean after the dogs “at home on workdays as well as on days off and during vacation periods,” the suit claims.
“Defendant requires the handlers, as a matter of policy and required procedure, to train, exercise and feed their assigned canines in this manner, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” the filing states.
The officers are required to bring the canines to and from work, and are also responsible for giving the furry friends medicine and taking them to the vet and animal hospital when they are sick, according to the suit, first reported by Patch.
Despite the 24/7 job requirements, the handlers are merely seeking at least one-and-a-half hours of overtime pay for dog duties they handle when they aren’t at work. They also want at least one hour of overtime pay — or time-and-a-half — for their on-duty canine care, the July 13 court papers show.
“Defendant is required to pay Plaintiffs for the time they spent feeding, grooming, exercising, caring for and training Defendant’s police dog that Defendant assigned to Handlers,” the suit states.
The NYPD uses dogs — or K-9s — for myriad tasks including sniffing out bombs, tracking down suspects, detecting computer chips for evidence retrieval and even for emotional support for members of the department.
The plaintiffs are seeking to recoup the wages they claim they are owed and they are seeking penalties against the city of up to $5,000 and other unspecified damages.
A spokesperson for the City Law Department said it would review the case. The NYPD didn’t comment Monday.