Investigations into a video showing alleged dog cruelty are ongoing, owner denies

MIAMI DADE COUNTY, Florida. – A cell phone video that appears to show a man hitting a dog has sparked countless comments online.

The video shows a man seemingly hitting a leashed dog not once, but twice, causing the dog to fall to the ground before getting back up.

A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said he witnessed the alleged abuse, which occurred near Southwest 164th Avenue and 290th Street in Miami-Dade County.

“The guy goes back into the cage with a leash, puts it on the dog, pulls him out, carries him by the leash and collar about two feet off the ground, and then I see this guy start beating his dog,” the neighbor said. “And I say, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.'”

The dog’s owner, identified only as Sherika, told Local 10 News by phone that the man in the video is her son, but denies any abuse.

“I have a two-year-old,” she said. “The dog was trying to attack my two-year-old. He was trying to bite her in the face, so my son stopped the dog and took him outside, as if to say, ‘No, you don’t do that.'”

Sherika says the dog is well taken care of and points to this newly constructed dog cage. She claims the video has been edited to make it look like the dog is being beaten.

“Anyone can tell you about my son, he’s a great boy,” she said. “Whoever made that video, they did it over the fence and put their own spin on the video, you know you can do that with a video.”

Yolanda Berkowitz is a South Florida animal rights activist and president of Friends of Miami Animals.

After seeing the video, she believes action needs to be taken.

“We will do everything in our power, both myself personally and our foundation, to support the animal welfare organizations and help in any way we can,” she said.

The same video was also sent to Miami-Dade Police via a Crime Stoppers tip.

The officials immediately launched their own investigations, the outcome of which is still pending.