I went on a field trip today...

Okay so i went of a field trip today and there was this airport police officer with his partner a black lab Scratt.Scratt is 4 yrs old and very playful,which is good,because their work is driven by play.the officer was very good with the dog and explained not to yell at your dog because their hearing is 15% better than ours.but he did say one thing that bothered me.it was "these dogs are great and i love my companions but they really are just a tool."my question is do you you think that what he said was cruel?