A video showing a woman kicking a dog on Coney Island began circulating on Facebook on Wednesday (6 Nov), sparking widespread outrage.
The woman allegedly works with a local pet daycare and was likely walking dogs entrusted to the company by their owners.
The netizen who uploaded the video reported the case to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS).
Source: Facebook
According to the netizen, the incident took place on Coney Island on Wednesday morning (6 Nov).
The woman and another individual were walking eight dogs together, each holding onto four leashes.
Finding the dogs cute, the netizen began recording. However, seconds later, the woman suddenly stomped over to one of the dogs and kicked it in the head.
Source: Facebook
The impact caused the dog to stumble, while the other person showed no visible reaction in the video. The video ended immediately after that.
Since its upload, the video has gained significant traction, amassing 185,000 views. It has also been reposted onto Reddit.
In response to MS News‘ queries, the woman who was purportedly in the video called it a “misunderstanding”.
“This 5-second video really doesn’t represent who I am at all,” she said.
Explaining her behaviour, she said her dog has a “very sensitive” tummy and so she “really panicked” as she thought it was chewing on something potentially harmful.
“It wasn’t the best way to handle the situation but at the moment [it was] deemed most suitable to me,” she added.
In an Instagram Story posted on the afternoon of 6 Nov on the daycare’s account, she apologised, explaining that she reacted “in the heat of the moment”.
Describing it as an “emergency situation” she handled poorly, she explained that she used her foot to stop the dog since she didn’t have control over its leash.
Source: Instagram
She added that her dog is her “life” and the reason why she takes care of other dogs.
She also posted screenshots of dogs looking comfortable with her, and customers attesting to her services.
In response to MS News’ queries, Ms Aarthi Sankar, executive director of SPCA, confirmed that it received multiple reports on 6 Nov regarding a video circulating on social media showing a woman kicking a dog during a pack walk.
“We have since escalated the case and associated information to AVS for their action,” she said.
MS News has reached out to AVS for comments.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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