Video of a police officer in Changsha, China beating a golden retriever has sparked anger among netizens and the discussion about public safety and animal welfare went on.
On a video posted on January 3, it shows the dog being tied up crumpling on a sidewalk as the police officer beat its head with a wooden club.
According to The Paper, the dog has been recently adopted but left unsupervised by the owner and had lashed out at several people, biting at least two of the passersby.
A statement released by the police department said that the officer who was dispatched on the area was not equipped with tranquilizer guns and chose not to use a handgun as it may hit someone. Moreover, since the dog has no identifying markers, the officer has no choice but to use a wooden stick.
It would be noted that the city ordinance in Changsha, dogs with no ID are considered wild so the police have every right to put them down as necessary.
Even if they were backed up with the law, netizens throw hate and negative comments for the brutal display of violence.
Moreover, many users in Weibo wondered why the police need to kill the dog when it was already tied up rather than clearing the area and calling an animal protection group. Netizens also called out for a more human measures in dealing with the same situation in the future.
