LogFAQs > #941548758

It's more so because they're part of the force and serve similiarly to a human officer, but on a limited/different scale. They're also an expensive asset that will inevitably die or need to retire, unlike a cruiser that can be refurbished until it's literally unsalvageable.
I recall a city nearby had to send a K9 unit back to training and it was about 60-70k just to acquire the dog after the initial training they do. That's just a dog... sure it's not a human, but harming or hindering their ability to perform their duties isn't quite the same as just harming a random stray/pet. The horse kicking is just natural/instinct, even owners know not to be there and trigger em.