After the horrific video of a man swinging a puppy around by the neck on live television in Memphis was released to the world, animal activists have been calling for justice. The video aired on ABC Local 24 during the downtown protests, and the reporter remained oblivious as a man abused the puppy behind her.
Rioters stole this little puppy from a rescue yard and abused it live on TV in Memphis. It is dead now, found strangled to death. #Finland #AllLifesMatter This has to stop. pic.twitter.com/wu5PmU4Kw1
— VeryAngry (@VeryAngrySquad) June 4, 2020
In addition to the video, alleged photographs of the same man and puppy circulated online. The puppy appears to have some sort of cable wrapped around it. Then, rumors circulated that the puppy had been later killed by the same man. The video, story and photograph quickly spread, and a petition was posted to make sure the man received lawful punishment. More than 100,000 people have signed it so far.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW KWAM THE MIGHTY 990 ON FACEBOOK.
MEMPHIS TN $500 REWARD A man at a protest on Beale St shaking a harmless puppy by the neck to get attention. Puppy has been found dead! $500 reward to the whereabouts & the name of this man. @memphishumane @memphishumanesociety #memphis #pitbullpuppy #animalabuse #protest pic.twitter.com/3nhSsWkWxI
— christina anderson (@charliegirl1221) June 3, 2020
Days later, ABC Local 24 posted an update. It’s been confirmed that the puppy is alive by a photo taken on Wednesday, June 2. The article seemed to be downplaying the incident, however.
“Legal experts say while ‘scruffing’ a dog may be disturbing,” the article said, “and it’s not the preferred way to pick up a dog, it’s not illegal in Tennessee.”KWAM THE MIGHTY 990 contacted Memphis Animal Services on the matter and invited them to come on “Wake Up Memphis” with Robyn Walensky. While the offer has not been accepted, KWAM received the following statement on the matter:
“Anytime there are concerns about the welfare of a pet in Memphis, it is our job at Memphis Animal Services to investigate, and we will always do so. We too were concerned about the way the dog was handled in the video, but we have received no information about who the man in the photos/videos is. If someone does have information about the dog or the man in the photos, they can email [email protected] so we can conduct a welfare check. The man has not been identified.
As far as the puppy dying or having been killed, all we have seen are unsubstantiated claims on social media, generally from people outside of the area, none of whom can trace the information back to the source. No one has been able to share the source of that information or present any concrete evidence to indicate the puppy is deceased. No one has made any reports to us (and we are animal control, the agency charged with investigating animal cruelty in Memphis) that a puppy or dog matching this description was found deceased. We have received no concrete information that the puppy was stolen from a rescue or returned dead on the fence. We have very strong partnerships with rescue groups in our area, and I speculate that if this happened to any local rescue group, they would have reported it to us.
If you find any more concrete information or evidence, please do share with us so we can investigate.”
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