Eagle woman could face animal cruelty charges over Snapchat video that went viral
An Eagle woman could face an animal cruelty charge over a video she allegedly shared on Snapchat, which appears to show her punching a dog while wearing boxing gloves.
According to Kristine Schellhaas, spokeswoman for the Idaho Humane Society, the shelter’s Animal Care and Control division started an official investigation as a result of the video, which was shared in a Facebook post late Sunday night. The post had been shared nearly 500 times as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Schellhaas said an animal control officer made contact with the woman, who has not been publicly identified.
“The investigation is currently pending review at the local prosecutor’s office for a charging decision,” Schellhaas said Monday in an email.
It’s not clear when the original video was posted to Snapchat. It shows a young woman wearing a pair of black boxing gloves and repeatedly swinging at a German shepherd. The dog appears to bite at the gloves several times, and a man filming says, ”We’re boxing animals. Where’s Sarah McLachlan?” McLachlan’s song “Angel” has been featured in advertisements for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Near the end of the video, the woman strikes the dog in the side of the head, and the dog yelps. The woman can be heard saying, “I hit him so hard I felt that through” before the video cuts off. A “Snap Map” at the end of the video shows the user’s location in Boise, though Schellhaas confirmed the woman is an Eagle resident.
In a Facebook post Monday afternoon, the Humane Society said its Animal Care and Control office received “an overwhelming number of phone calls and emails” and asked people to stop calling in the incident.
Schellhaas said the Boise City Prosecutor’s Office could charge the woman under Idaho statute 25-3518, which addresses “beating and harassing animals.” The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of up to six months and prison and as much as $5,000 in fines.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 6:16 PM.
