Animal control officers search for person in abuse video

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a distribution case that Metro Animal Care and Control officials are investigating after watching video of someone repeatedly hitting a dog.

These officers are asking the public for help.

Protecting the most vulnerable means Amanda Stephan investigates animal abuse as an animal control field manager.

“I have a soft spot for small dogs that can’t protect themselves very well,” said Stephan.

Stephan has a lot of questions about a video someone submitted to MACC a few weeks ago.

“I'm not sure if the person in the video lost his temper or was frustrated with the dog, but in the video it looks like the person is attacking the dog with a belt,” Stephan said. “Just the amount of time that this goes on while this dog screams in fear shows the lack of empathy of this person who would do something like this to an animal.”

The video shows a person hitting a small dog with a belt. In the pictures, the person is holding the belt behind their back. She whips the dog more than 16 times before it runs into a cage.

“I don’t understand why someone would watch this in the first place, not stop it, and then take it a step further and post it on social media,” Stephan said.

Stephan hopes someone has information about who this person is. The woman has a striking table and a color-changing LED string of lights on the floor.

“There might have been injuries and we don't know what else happened that wasn't shown on the video,” Stephan said. “Our investigation has reached a dead end at this point and we are therefore appealing to the public to find anyone who knows where this incident took place.”

Stephan says anyone with information about the video is asked to call 615-862-7928. Callers can remain anonymous.

Do you have any further information about this story? You can email me at ([email protected]).