Students charged after allegedly forcing black Lab pup into keg stand
Mya, a 5-month-old black Labrador retriever, was allegedly held upside down over a keg -- in a keg stand -- by New York college students and forced to lap up beer.
A picture on Twitter tipped off authorities to the incident. And now two students at the College of Brockport in New York state have been charged with animal abuse.
Police say one student held Mya over the keg, forcing her to drink, at an off-campus party Saturday at the campus near Rochester, N.Y., according to the Associated Press. Another student took a photo and posted it on Twitter. The two 20-year-olds were charged with torturing and injuring an animal and must appear in court.
The tweet -- posted to @SUNYPartyStory, where language is off-color and students tout parties -- is no longer on the account. But it spread quickly after its posting and showed up on national media.
Mya is OK, according to local news reports. Police told the Democrat & Chronicle that her owner was not home when the photo was taken.
“We’ve got quite a few people calling who want to take her,” assistant dog warden Paul Beaumont says in the video below.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tells why forcing a dog to drink beer is such a stupid idea:
“Even ingesting a small amount of a product containing alcohol can cause significant intoxication. ... Alcohol intoxication commonly causes vomiting, loss of coordination, disorientation and stupor. In severe cases, coma, seizures and death may occur. Dogs showing mild signs of alcohol intoxication should be closely monitored, and dogs who are so inebriated that they can’t stand up should be monitored by a veterinarian until they recover.”
The Los Angeles Times will host a live video chat on Wednesday at noon PDT on how to be a responsible pet owner. If you feel like joining, here’s more about the event.
Follow me at @AmyTheHub
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