By Shamar Blunt
Shock and horror unfolded online yesterday after a video showing a dying dog was circulated, with witnesses on the scene claiming it was the ill treatment endured that eventually led to the animal’s death.
Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are asking for eyewitnesses to come forward to lend assistance.
One witness described an alarming scene at Pebbles Beach on Tuesday, where a dog appeared to have drowned in the late afternoon incident.
The now viral video which evoked the ire of the online audience, showed a man dragging, then lifting the limp body of the animal onto the shore, as onlookers watched and pleaded with him.
One witness to the distressing scene, Lavern Beresford, told Barbados TODAY that while the beach was not well populated during the 4 p.m. period, onlookers had a clear view of a man in the water throwing an unrecognisable object in the air.
“We saw him throwing this thing up in the air.
That is what caught my attention…We thought it was a child at first, but then when we looked good we saw it was a dog. When the dog landed in the water a second time, you could clearly see that the dog was struggling.
“A wave came and knocked the dog under, and it was literally struggling and at one point was under the water for five to ten seconds. When the dog finally popped back out it was reaching out for help,” she recalled.
Beresford revealed that more locals and tourists walked over to the area to find out what was happening, but by that time, the animal was unfortunately close to death after being flung repeatedly into the air and landing violently in the water.
“It was at that point I ran towards them and other people on the beach ran to them as well, and we tried to resuscitate the dog. People were trying to pump the water out of the dog’s stomach, some water did come out but the dog’s nose and mouth had a very thick crust of sand because it was wet and had been dragged on the sand.
“Literally after that the dog took two breaths and died, and that was the end of the dog. There was no remorse, no tears, all he was saying was ‘get up Sparky’ and he was hitting the dog all the while he was on the sand.”
Beresford also dismissed the idea that the incident could have been an accident, alleging that the man’s actions suggested otherwise.
“This was not an accident, it was not a simple drowning accident where someone takes their dog to the beach and a wave takes the dog away….”
Police Public Affairs and Communications Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss confirmed that the incident had been reported to the Hastings -Worthing Police Station.
“We have commenced an official investigation into this matter,” Inniss said in a statement.
“We are aware of the widespread public discussions and ultimate concerns. We are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward and make a report to any police station.”
Local animal welfare advocate and Trustee for Action for Animals Barbados (AFAB) Gail Hunte, told Barbados TODAY that though the video footage was hard to stomach, the situation of some persons on the island disregarding the life of animals had unfortunately become all too regular.
“I am not surprised, I think that this is something that happens probably quite a lot, especially with persons who fight or breed dogs they no longer want. What troubles me the most is the comment made [in the video] that ‘This is Barbados’ when a visitor said they would call the police.
“It showed that he had a total disrespect for our laws, that he is above the law, and that he could do certain things and there would be no consequence.”
Hunte further described the act as a heinous one, and once again renewed calls for government to be heavy-handed in addressing the current lacklustre approach to dealing with animal abuse situations on the island. shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb
