Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This viral video viewed more than two million times shows a young boy dragging his puppy on the ground before the youngster’s gran kicks and steps on the pooch’s tail.
Footage provided by the Zhuji City Home for Stray Animals shows the puppy, which appears to be a border collie, being pulled along the pavement on all fours.
The clip, filmed by a passing driver, shows the young boy dragging the dog by its lead, but the frightened puppy refuses to walk and is kicked in the backside by the child’s grandmother who at one point also appears to walk on its tail.
Pictures Credit: AsiaWire
Social media users who have shared the video widely online criticised the boy for what they have deemed “animal abuse”.
An unnamed pet shop owner revealed the pair had brought the pup in for a wash and told him that the pup’s paws were bleeding from being dragged along hard ground.
He said the pet had been dragged to and from his business because it had not been regularly walked and “didn’t know how to walk” either.
However, he and others online have defended the boy.
He said: “I can’t confirm whether there was any abuse. I didn’t see [the grandmother] kicking the dog either.
“The boy looked like he was quite fond of the pup and he takes good care of it.
“But he just didn’t understand [how to care for it].”
The Zhuji City Home for Stray Animals said it did not intend for the boy come under fire and instead hoped the incident could be “educational” for inexperienced pet owners.
The shelter suggested the pup could have avoided its injuries if the boy or his nan had simply picked it up.