A disturbing video shared on social media this Tuesday showed a man mistreating his dog on the balcony of an apartment in a skyscraper near Plaza Miami.
In the images, the man is seen throwing away what appears to be the animal's feces from the balcony and then pushing the animal's head against the ground repeatedly.
Immediately afterwards, he is seen grabbing a sharp object - apparently a stabbing weapon - and how he strikes the animal's head with the handle of the cutting object.
Despite the shock caused by the images -shared from the popular Instagram account Only in Dade- no charges were filed against the dog's owner.
"Our officers responded to the location with Miami Dade animal services. MDPD Animal Services (M-DAS) is conducting their investigation and has cited the man. The dog does not appear to be injured but was taken for an evaluation by a veterinarian. We are also conducting our investigation," detailed the cited Instagram account quoting a statement from the Miami police.
"It was unsettling, but unfortunately it didn't surprise me," said a resident who preferred to remain anonymous in statements to Local 10.
"Since we live in this area, all the dog owners know each other. I have seen this owner behave badly with his dog before," she added.
"It was heartbreaking to see it. I even witnessed how her son kicked the dog, which makes me think that this could be something common in the house. In general, it's a terrible way to have a dog," added another neighbor.
The result of the investigation
During the investigation, M-DAS officials visited the man's apartment and found two dogs in suitable conditions, with access to food and water.
The owner assured the authorities that at the time of the incident, he was following the training procedures provided by a dog trainer.
Despite this, M-DAS warned him that the correction method used "was not advisable" and that dogs should not be left unsupervised on the balcony.
The owner was also cited for not having the vaccinations up to date or the license plates for both dogs.
The authorities ordered that the dogs be taken to M-DAS for a complete examination, and after the review, the shelter's veterinarian found no injuries in any of the animals and confirmed that both were in good health.
Finally, the researchers noted that the behavior of the dogs did not indicate a negative relationship with their owner.
However, the owner was advised to consider training methods based on positive reinforcement, both for their well-being and that of the animals.
What do you think?
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