A viral video and subsequent photo of Memphis protesters mishandling and potentially abusing a puppy has concerned social media users and sparked rumors of the animal’s death. While it’s unclear if the animal, assumed but not confirmed to be a rescue dog, has been killed, Memphis Animal Services did say they were “concerned” by the footage and photos.
“Rioters stole this little puppy from a rescue yard and abused it live on TV in Memphis,” Ian Miles Cheong captioned the viral video. “It is dead now, found strangled to death.”
Again, the fate of the dog has yet to be confirmed and a local Memphis TV reporter is encouraging folks in the area to continue to be on the lookout for the puppy.
WATCH:
Rioters stole this little puppy from a rescue yard and abused it live on TV in Memphis. It is dead now, found strangled to death. pic.twitter.com/NEyeT2ya97
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 3, 2020
Cheong posted another photo, a screenshot from a woman named Jasmin Vasquez, claiming the puppy was a stolen rescue animal and later found dead. Vasquez posted a disturbing photo of one of the protesters holding the dog with what appears to be some sort of rope around its neck.
“The dog was found dead!” she captioned the post, linking to a Change.org petition. “Find this low life piece of s*** now! The puppy was allegedly stolen from a rescue’s yard. Local Memphis his death is also in your hands. Why didn’t you stop this subhuman from harming this innocent puppy.”
“MEMPHIS TN $500 REWARD to find this man at a protest on Beale Street,” the post added.
“A man at a protest shaking a harmless puppy by the neck to get attention. The poor puppy has no idea what’s happening & looked so scared.”
Sign and share the petition to bring justice. http://chng.it/ph2YDCJTHMCall Memphis police (901)545-2677Update….
Posted by Jasmin Vasquez on Tuesday, June 2, 2020
However, Fox 13’s Winnie Wright posted Tuesday that Memphis Animal Services could not confirm the fate of the puppy, and encouraged locals to continue to have an eye out for the pup.
“I’ve spoken to Memphis Animal Services. They, too have not been provided one shred of evidence that the dog was ‘stolen from rescue’ and killed,” she wrote. “This all appears to be coming from people who do NOT live in Memphis.”
“That mean this dog can still be located and potentially saved. My advice: don’t listen to people not from this area,” Wright added.
“For the last several hours I’ve pressed the people posting that this dog is dead for evidence,” the post said. “Not one of them is local. Two are in Miami, FL. They have refused, even in private message.”
“There is *no evidence* this dog is dead,” she reiterated. “That means it can still be saved. Don’t stop looking! And if you didn’t hear it from someone local, don’t believe it!”
UPDATE: I’ve spoken to Memphis Animal Services. They, too have not been provided one shred of evidence that the dog was…
Posted by Winnie Wright on Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Additionally, Katie Pemberton, a Community Engagement Specialist with Memphis Animal Services, told The Daily Dot on Wednesday that they were “concerned” by the video, but can’t confirm the puppy’s death.
“We too were concerned about the way the dog was handled in the video, but we have received no information about who the man in the photos/videos is,” Pemberton said.
“As far as the puppy dying or having been killed, all we have seen are unsubstantiated claims on social media, generally from people outside of the area, none of whom can trace the information back to the source,” she added. “No one has been able to share the source of that information or present any concrete evidence to indicate the puppy is deceased. No one has made any reports to us (and we are animal control, the agency charged with investigating animal cruelty in Memphis) that a puppy or dog matching this description was found deceased.”
“We have received no concrete information that the puppy was stolen from a rescue or returned dead on the fence,” Pemberton added. “We have very strong partnerships with rescue groups in our area, and I speculate that if this happened to any local rescue group, they would have reported it to us.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.