You are very much missing something but to those of us that get it you answered your own question.
You said:You appear to look at the dog like any other piece of property. By the letter of the law you may be correct but you are 100% wrong.once the dog retires to the handler, it becomes his property to deal with in its entirety
Dogs are sentient creatures, with feelings which bond to their human owners. This bond must be even stronger for a working dog as it is what the dog works for. A working dog is a partner just like any human partner except when the dog retired the dog became the handlers responsibility. This officer met that responsibility by dumping his partner in a shelter as soon as he wasn’t a ticket to free shit. He fucked over his partner. Plain and simple.
What would you think if one of the officers you worked with got shot in the line of duty and while he was in the hospital recovering one of your other shift partners took advantage of the situation to start banging the injured officers wife ? It’s not illegal but it’s still a shitty thing to do and shows your shift partner is a POS and not to be trusted. That I exactly how I view the officer who violated his K9 partners trust.
As far as him being reassigned, actions that are not illegal but make the department look bad are usually referred to as “conduct unbecoming.” Officers get demoted or disciplined for this all the time.
Policing is a “people job.” It requires both IQ and “EQ” or “Emotional Intelligence.” In 22 years of LE I’ve seen a lot of cops who are bad people and have done horrible things. I’ve even had to help arrest one. If you cant see how abandoning a former partner who is now completely dependent on you to a shelter is morally wrong I really have to wonder if you belong in law enforcement.