In an alarming incident that has gone viral on social media, an animal activist based in Mumbai confronted and physically assaulted a dog sitter after discovering the latter had brutally beaten a German Shepherd while intoxicated. The video clip of the entire incident has sparked outrage among the public with many calling out the authorities for not monitoring pet clinics that often torture and inflict pain upon the poor animals.
In the first part of the clip, the alleged dog sitter could be seen sitting on a chair and leaving it briefly to thrash the dog, who can be heard whimpering. The following portion showed the altercation between animal activist Vijay Rangare and the pet sitter.
In another video, Mr Rangare could be seen conversing with two employees from the pet centre where the incident took place. They alleged that the dog sitter shown in the footage, along with others including the facility owner, mistreated animals.
Sharing the videos, Mr Rangare vowed to shut down the pet facility, emphasising the need for accountability.
“This is a short video captured by another caretaker on their phone. I have submitted a written complaint to the police, who will review all the CCTV footage and have registered an FIR. I will ensure that this horrific pet boarding facility is shut down,” wrote Mr Rangare in his Instagram post.
Internet reacts
As of the last update, the video had garnered over 1.4 million views with nearly 50,000 likes and hundreds of comments. While most lauded Mr Rangare for exposing the truth about the cruel practices of the pet facility, some also criticised him for assaulting the dog sitter.
“Shelter should be closed with immediate action. I really appreciate both the informers and your team for swift action,” a user wrote, while another added: “Massive respect for these guys for bringing this abuse into light. Thank you for saving many such fur babies from going through this trauma.”
A third commented: “Great on him for exposing the pet centre but should not have assaulted the other guy.”
Notably, this is not the first instance when a pet centre has come under scrutiny for treating animals poorly. In February this year, two groomers were caught on camera repeatedly thrashing a three-year-old Chow Chow at the Vetic pet clinic in Thane, Maharashtra.
The two employees were also arrested after a complaint was filed against them. The then Maharashtra chief minister, Eknath Shinde, also took cognisance of the issue and directed authorities to investigate the case.
