RAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Macomb County Sheriff's Office is investigating a heinous case of animal abuse in Ray Township.
Their evidence includes a YouTube video of a German Shepherd being slammed and choked by its owner.
Police believe the man responsible is a local veterinarian.
A man police have yet to name is seen lashing out at a dog that is said to be his own. He stalks the dog through the house and you can see in the video the German Shepherd is trembling with fear.
The rest is too disturbing to show.
"It's just sickening because you can see the dog's body language, you can tell he was scared and nervous," said Ariel Johns, who takes her dog to a veterinarian office in Ray Township.
Johns knows that fearful wince all too well.
In 2020, she took in Luka, a stray from Pontiac with a history of abuse. After a year in their care, Luka was put down. His trauma made it impossible for him to thrive.
"We took him to specialists and doctors and we were trying so hard to fix him and ultimately at the end, he just couldn't handle the world anymore," Johns said.
Johns thinks of Luka when she sees the disturbing video.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office says the man in question is a local veterinarian. Two other dogs were also living in the home.
"We have the animals back. We are making sure we are taking care of them, watching where this goes and making sure somebody is held accountable for their actions," Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said.
The man has not been charged and police didn't say where he is currently practicing. Investigators think the animal abuse may just be part of the story.
"You wonder if that might be something that might be happening with other people inside that home, so that is something we are alerted to and that's going to be part of that investigation as it continues," Hackel said.
According to Michigan Incident Crime Reporting, animal cruelty crimes grew by around 100 cases each year from 2016 to 2018.
Michigan Humane says they investigate more than 5,000 animal cruelty complaints each year in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.
"We are supposed to be their voice and we are supposed to help them and protect them and for someone to do that to a dog in the presence of kids is just so disheartening," Johns said.
Attorney General Dana Nessel will be visiting Detroit Thursday to announce a partnership with Michigan Humane to investigate and prosecute crimes like this one.
If you see animal abuse, never hesitate to report it.
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