NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It is a distributing case that Metro Animal Care and Control officers are investigating after they looked at the video of someone repeatedly hitting a dog.
Those officers are asking for the public's help.
Protecting the most vulnerable means Amanda Stephan investigates animal abuse as an Animal Control Field Supervisor.
"I have a soft spot for little dogs they are not as able to protect themselves," said Stephan.
Stephan has many questions about a video someone submitted to MACC several weeks ago.
"I am not sure if the individual in the video lost their temper or got frustrated with the dog but in the video it appears that the individual is going after the dog with a belt," said Stephan. " Just the length of time this is going on for while this dog is screaming in terror just speaks to the lack of empathy of this person that would do this to an animal."
The video shows a person hitting a small dog with a belt. In the images, the person is holding the belt behind her back. She lashes the dog more than 16 times before it runs into a cage.
"I don't understand why someone would watch this happen in the first place and not stop it and then to go a step farther and post it on social media," said Stephan.
Stephan hopes someone has information about who this person is. The woman has a distinctive table and color-changing LED light string on the floor.
"There could have potentially been injuries and we don't know what else has happened that was not on the video," said Stephan. "Our investigation at this point has hit a bit of a dead end and so we are asking that the public is someone knows where this incident took place."
Stephan says anyone with information about the video is asked to call 615-862-7928. Callers can remain anonymous.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (Kim.Rafferty@newschannel5.com).
This story by Aaron Cantrell reminds me of my first school in Dyersburg, TN. I was a student at Bruce School from Kindergarten to second grade until the school system was integrated. My parents graduated from this K-12 school in 1960 in one of the city's African American communities. After sitting empty for several years, part of the school was demolished while the rest was renovated and now serves as a community center for the Bruce community in Dyersburg. A local pastor is now trying to do something similar in the Cemetery community in Rutherford Co.
-Lelan Statom
