A video showing a dog being dragged alongside a minivan in Puebla, Mexico, began going viral after being shared on May 12, sparking indignation. A complaint was made by an animal shelter to local authorities, who then investigated the incident.
The footage, shared by Miguel Angel Spidio, shows the dog running alongside a vehicle in rainy weather, attached to the front-passenger side by a leash. The dog is seen struggling to keep up the same speed as the minivan, and being pulled by the neck as it tries to maintain its footing.
Spidio is heard berating the two occupants of the minivan, telling them the dog could not walk and to put it in the car. The video shows the vehicle dragging the dog eventually pulled over beside Puebla’s Ecological Park. One of the occupants exits the passenger side and unties the dog from the car, before walking away with the dog in the rain.
Another car is seen flanking the left side of the vehicle pulling the dog. Spidio said the car was being driven by a man who assisted in forcing the people to stop dragging the dog.
The video was shared widely on social media in Mexico over May 12 and 13, with numerous news outlets reporting on the incident.
On May 13, Puebla’s Director of Public Services, Eduardo Vergara, said he visited the dog’s home and was satisfied that the dog was well looked after. Vergara shared images of the dog at home, appearing to be in playful mood.
On Facebook, city councillor Iván Galindo Castillejos echoed Vergara’s report. Of the incident, he wrote that a woman and her grandson had brought the dog out, but did not put it in the vehicle as the dog did not like being lifted. Living two streets away, they considered it easier to tie the dog to the car, Galindo Castillejos said. The grandson admitted his mistake when faced with criticism, Galindo Castillejos said, and walked the dog home in the rain, as the footage shows. The councillor also said he believed the woman, who was the subject of insults of abuse on social media, should not be “demonized.” Credit: Miguel Angel Spidio via Storyful
