(KRON) — A video of an alleged abuse of a pug in Richmond has circulated social media this week.
The video of the incident shows the man appearing to strike the dog once. Around the 12-second mark, the dog is heard barking after the owner makes contact with the pet.
The Richmond Police Department (RPD) was notified about the video circulating on social media. The department checked the dog’s condition on Monday and spoke with the owner, it said on social media. RPD determined that the owner’s actions toward the dog did not warrant a criminal investigation.
“We understand that many might find the video upsetting, but our investigation of the incident determined that the conduct did not rise to the level of criminal conduct,” RPD wrote in a Facebook post.
A Facebook page, “THE PUG QUEEN,” called out RPD for its lack of consequences put forth against the owner — pushing for the dog’s owner to be arrested. The page, which has more than 166,000 followers, accuses the man of being a “habitual abuser.” Hundreds of comments on the page’s post appear to agree.
RPD eventually handed off the investigation over to Contra Costa Animal Services. The latter will be the primary agency investigating the incident.
As of Tuesday night, Contra Costa Animal Services has not reached a verdict on whether or not the owner’s actions warrant a criminal investigation.
RPD and Contra Costa Animal Services said they have received an influx of calls about the incident. The agencies have asked the public to stop calling about it as “other calls to get through to (its) emergency dispatch line.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
