A man in Lancaster County, Nebraska was recently filmed brutally kicking his dog in a gun store parking lot, trying to beat the pup into submission. The store’s security cameras caught him on video and when staff saw what was happening, they were horrified and called law enforcement. But unfortunately, at first, the cops didn’t immediately care. Officers glanced over the animal and in their non-veterinary opinion, suggested he didn’t “look” injured on the surface, so they declined to hold his owner accountable at all. The man simply drove away, with the abused dog still in his possession.
Luckily, store employees released the footage online to press for justice and even tried confronting the man themselves. Speaking to TV reporters, the man publicly admitted to abusing his dog, saying it was an example of “physical discipline” because the pup “was acting like a total a**hole.” After one week of public uproar over this outrageous cruelty, the local police department suddenly changed its tune and finally cited the man for animal cruelty after all. But they refused to remove the dog from his dangerous home. It’s clear that Nebraska needs MUCH tougher animal welfare laws in order to both prevent people from harming their pets, and to force law enforcement to intervene. Sign the petition urging Nebraska lawmakers to pass tougher animal protection laws now!