Palm Coast, FL - A teen is now facing animal cruelty charges after a video of them beating a small dog was posted on Snapchat.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says that the incident was reported after they received a call yesterday (June 1st).
The caller reportedly told the Sheriff's Office that her nephew had just shown her a video that was posted on Snapchat by one of his friends depicting animal abuse.
The video showed a 16-year-old male holding a small dog to the ground by its neck as he beat the dog with a belt. After beating the dog, he can be seen throwing the dog back into a cage before blocking the door. The teen can also be seen possibly scolding the dog at the end of the video.
This was also not the first report of the incident. FCSO says that Sheriff Rick Staly even received Facebook messages about the abuse and the video.
Deputies soon made contact with the teen at his home and found out that they were tasked with watching two dogs. When questioned about what happened, the teen said that he was "disciplining" the dog after it had defecated on the floor. Additionally, the teen said that filming the abuse was probably "not smart to do," per Flagler's report.
The two dogs were later seized by Palm Coast Animal Control for safekeeping. Both animals were taken to Flagler Animal Hospital to be checked out by medical staff.
As for the teen, he was arrested and charged with animal cruelty before they were transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
“This is another great example of ‘see something, say something’ in action,” Sheriff Staly said in a release from FCSO. “We do not tolerate animal abuse in Flagler County. 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.”
