Whenever you post something on social media, someone is sure to comment with their opinion. And if you post anything that shows an animal in danger, some backlash is guaranteed. However, one man didn’t see a problem with his actions, so he had no problem posting something awful all over the internet. He shared a photo of his girlfriend’s dog with his mouth zip-tied shut.
The man seemed to think it was a silly way to keep the dog quiet, but everyone else was outraged by the animal cruelty. Dog lovers were even more shocked when they found out the man’s fate after this heartbreaking incident.
A Cruel “Joke”
Matt McMichael from Eugene, Oregon, isn’t a fan of a Dachshund named Hank, who belongs to his girlfriend, Sheela Deskins. According to McMichael, Hank is a relentless barker, and he couldn’t get the small dog to be quiet. So, McMichael settled on the worst possible solution.
He tightened a zip tie around the pup’s mouth, preventing him from barking at all. Then, he felt proud of his solution, so he shared a photo of it on social media. In the picture, he’s grabbing onto the dog’s head, showing off a zip tie that seems to be uncomfortably tight around the dog’s snout.
“When you’re tired of the [expletive] barking!!!!” McMichael wrote in the caption.
Of course, as soon as people saw the horrific image, they panicked and feared for the dog’s life. Many sent threatening messages to McMichael, and others contacted animal control.
The Dog Deserves Better
At first, McMichael responded to comments with “lol,” indicating that it was all a joke to him. He even argued that the zip ties weren’t tied very tight. But eventually, he took down his social media profiles.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office got involved after receiving many messages about the dog’s safety. However, after further inspection, they decided not to charge McMichael. The police explained that the dog looked healthy otherwise and showed no signs of injury or abuse. They stated that the incident was poor judgment on the man’s part, and they encouraged him not to post pictures like that again.
But many dog lovers were angry about these results. After all, he could still be hurting the dog, even if he’s not posting about it. Dogs bark, and while some can do it a bit too much, there are plenty of ways to train them to correct it. Tying a dog’s mouth shut is never a proper solution.
Of course, there’s no way to know the whole story from one picture, but that poor dog shouldn’t have had to go through that even for a second. Hopefully, he’s receiving much better care now.
H/T: taphaps.com
Featured Image: YouTube
Toledo, United States.
