Police in a Palm Beach County city are investigating what one spokeswoman called a “deeply concerning” incident where a man was filmed allegedly punching his dog.
Boynton Beach Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Slater told NBC affiliate WPTV-TV the incident took place Sunday at a park in the city.
Video taken by another person at the park shows the man walking the dog on a leash before bending over and punching the dog twice with his fist before slapping the animal.
"The owner bent down and grabbed the harness and just started to beat the dog. I still have a hard time talking about it," Stacey Rybak, who filmed the incident, told the station.
Police have not filed charges against the unnamed man as of Monday evening, but the dog was taken into custody. The 2-year-old pit bull-Lab mix named Addison was examined by a vet with Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, where she remains at this time.
Officers performed a welfare check at the man’s home to insure no other animals were being harmed. Federal law passed last year makes animal cruelty a felony nationwide.
