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SANDY — A picture posted as a joke on Facebook has caused animal advocates a lot of concern, and they said that it should not be allowed.
The picture shows what looks like a small dog hanging from a ceiling with someone posing like they're hitting it with a stick. The caption reads: "What we do for fun — puppy piñata lmao."
The Humane Society of Utah saw the picture online, and forwarded it to the Sandy Police department as a call for action.
"When officers went out there, there were no injuries to the dog," said Sandy Police Sgt. Jon Arnold.
Arnold said the dog was wearing a harness, and was not hanging by its collar.
"It's a harness that would normally be attached to a leash," Arnold said. "That way they can control their dogs on the leash rather than the collar."
Arnold said that since the picture was a joke, and the dog was uninjured in the prank, no charges will be filed.
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"Unfortunately, there are some things that individuals find funny that other people don't," Arnold said.
Arnold said Sandy Police officers had a long discussion with the dog's owners about how posting pictures depicting animal cruelty could cause alarm for people who didn't know it was a joke.
"We talked to them about the perception of individuals looking at a picture labeled ‘puppy piñata' [and how they're] probably thinking that you're injuring this animal," Arnold said.
The Humane Society of Utah still condemns the picture saying people shouldn't promote violence against animals, even if they're just kidding.
"The sad truth of it is that there is enough animal abuse that is going on anyway," said Humane Society of Utah representative Carl Arky. "We don't need to encourage it."
