A photograph of a dog perched on the back of a tow truck has circulated widely on social media, coming to the attention of the authorities and sparking an investigation.
The picture shows a tow truck without any cars in its tow area. A white dog sits on the back as the vehicle moves down a road.
Michael Gerry snapped the picture in Waltham, Mass. when he looked over and saw the dog on the back of the truck.
“I see what looks like a stuffed animal,” Gerry told WHDH. “So, I got up a little closer and I really got a good look at it and it was a dog chained to the winch on the flatbed.”
He said he tried to get the attention of the truck driver.
“So I am beeping the horn, trying to get this guy’s attention,” he said. “He’s not even paying any attention to me. So, traffic started moving and I had to keep going. I couldn’t get in front of him or behind him.”
“My blood pressure went through the roof,” Gerry told WBZ.
He called 911 before taking to Facebook to post the picture.
Police Investigating After Photo Of Dog Riding On Tow Truck Sparks Outrage https://t.co/YCxgAOoW5q pic.twitter.com/RV7L2UEOUt
— Boston Informer (@boston_informer) July 18, 2019
“I posted it on Facebook for my buddies to just kind of put it out there and it went unreal… it went ballistic,” he said.
The truck was identified as one belonging to the Ramsay Towing company. Furious animal lovers took to the company’s page, prompting it to respond: “We have just been made aware of the photo that is circulating on Facebook. We do not support the drivers actions and he was terminated immediately.”
That post was later deleted as the entire account appeared to be removed.
WHDH reported that the Animal Rescue League is probing the incident, saying a felony crime appeared to be committed.
Lieutenant Alan Borgal of the state police told WBZ an investigation is underway. “We are trying to find out how many times that was done so we know of two. That’s been a violation of the law for years,” he said.
Mom Arrested for Driving With Children on Roof
An Illinois woman is facing charges after she was caught driving down a two-lane highway with her two children on top of the car, inside an inflatable pool.
Authorities said the woman had driven to a friend’s house on July 9 to inflate the pool and put her children inside of it to weigh it down, according to a Facebook post by The Dixon Police Department.
Police pulled over Jennifer A. Janus Yeager, 49, after receiving a call from a concerned person who saw the woman driving with two girls on top of the vehicle.
Yeager, 49, is facing two counts of Endangering the Health or Life of a Child and two counts of Reckless Conduct. She was also cited for “failure to secure a passenger of the age of 8 and under the age of 16.”
She was taken to the police station, where she was processed and released on bond.
Simon Veazey contributed to this report.