A teen from Palm Coast, Florida, has been arrested for animal cruelty after he repeatedly beat his small dog with a belt and posted videos of it on social media.
Deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the teen’s home after a concerned mother alerted them to a Snapchat video that her nephew’s friend posted of a 16-year-old hitting a small dog with a belt.
In the video, the teen held the Pomeranian-type dog down by the neck and aggressively beat him with a leather belt over and over again as he shrieked out in pain, before throwing him into a crate and blocking the door.
The teen admitted to beating the dog and told deputies that he hit him out of anger because he “went to the bathroom on his carpeted floor.”
When asked why he filmed the abuse, the teen admitted that it was “probably not smart to do.”
Source: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office/Youtube
The teen was then arrested on animal cruelty charges and brought to Flagler County Jail, where he was then transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The dog who was harmed, along with another dog in the home, were both taken to Flagler Animal Hospital by Palm Coast Animal Control to be examined.
“This is another great example of ‘see something, say something’ in action,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement, which Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted on their facebook page.
“We do not tolerate animal abuse in Flagler County,” he continued. “This type of behavior could be an early warning sign that something else is going on with this young man and often is how human abuse starts. I hope this is a wakeup call that his criminal actions will not be allowed and that he gets the help he needs. I would also like to say thank you to the young man who spoke up and saved this dog from further abuse.”
H/T to Click Orlando & Flager County Sheriff’s Office.
Warning: The video below contains animal abuse and may be disturbing to some; viewer discretion is advised.
