WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Michael Leidig,Agency: Central European News

This is the moment a young boy forces a poor dog to pull a heavy cart he is sitting on.

The incident was filmed in the north-western Bulgarian city of Vratsa after the boy was inspired to copy his father who he had earlier seen similarly abusing the dog and scaring it with a shovel.

The unnamed father then shared the videos if his son’s actions on social media, prompting the local authorities to launch an investigation and seize the poor dog, according to reports.

In the footage, the young boy is seen shouting and slamming a shovel against the ground to scare the dog into pulling the heavy wooden cart he is sitting on.

As the dog struggles to pull the cart, people in the background are heard laughing wildly.

Another clip shows the shouting boy throwing the shovel at the dog to make it pull the cart.

In the third video, the dog is seen pulling the boy around on a go-kart.

The local authorities have confirmed that the incident is being investigated, while the dog has been seized to be micro-chipped, neutered and taken care of.

Senior healthcare official Dr Yordan Todorov told local media: “Two dogs were abused, they are in relatively good condition.”

It is unclear whether the authorities seized more than one animal from the property.

Reports said that the boy and his relatives were not at the property when the authorities arrived.

It is unknown whether the family will be prosecuted for the incident.