A photo of a dog laying in the back of an open truck and covered in snow is going viral and causing a wave of anger all over the social media. It’s still unknown who took the photo or how long the poor dog has been there. However, seeing how much the weather looked severe, rasies the question of the dog’s security.
However, what makes the situation more frustrating and upsetting is what authorities had to say about this whole thing. Apparently, keeping your dog in the back of the truck in this manner and under these conditions is legal.
However, the Colorado State Patrol said that in order for this to be considered animal cruelty, other things such as the wind chill, the dog’s breed, and the dog’s appearance should also be taken into consideration.
“The law is not cut and dry on this but the driver could be cited with a violation of animal cruelty if there was enough evidence,” they wrote in a statement.
Dr. Missy Tasky, owner at the Gentle Touch Animal Hospital spoke of the case and said, “legal or not, this is wrong.” She also added that compared to other breeds, the Malamutes are able to withstand extremely cold weather, but yet, spending time covered in snow when the temperatures are 16 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of 0 degrees it’s very likely for any dog to suffer frostbites and hypothermia.
