A Charlotte man surrendered his dog after a video showed him allegedly beating it with a belt.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man has surrendered his dog to authorities after being caught on video allegedly beating the animal with a belt.
The incident, recorded by a witness in east Charlotte near Independence Boulevard, shows what appears to be a man striking a dog repeatedly on an apartment porch.
“The man knew what he was doing was wrong because he looked up and saw my son inside his car videoing him,” the witness’s father told WCNC Charlotte. “The moment he saw my son taking that video, he turned around and went back inside the apartment.”
After viewing the recording, the father immediately contacted Crimestoppers and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
On Wednesday, CMPD Animal Care and Control confirmed they contacted the dog’s owner, who admitted to “reprimanding the dog with a belt” because it was biting him.
“It’s absolutely horrendous,” the witness’s father said. “We’ve been dog owners our entire life and it’s just sickening. It’s disturbing, it shows a man out of control.”
Claire Jones, founder of Two Girls, Lots of Dogs Animal Rescue in Charlotte, receives dozens of animal cruelty reports daily.
“I just got chill bumps again from it, it makes me sick,” Jones said. “For me, a good person can’t be cruel to animals and can’t be good to our community.”
Jones emphasized the importance of reporting suspected animal abuse.
“See something, say something,” she said. “Someone saw that and sent it to someone that could help.”
CMPD Animal Care and Control said the owner appeared remorseful and admitted the dog was “too young for him to handle.” The man voluntarily surrendered the dog and was issued multiple warnings by authorities.
“Be kind to animals, be kind to family and friends. You don’t have to behave like this, there’s ways to handle things,” the witness’s father said.
WCNC Charlotte chose not to include the audio from the video due to its disturbing nature.
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