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<\/p>\nA harrowing video of a man allegedly beating a dog over the head with a shovel has emerged on social media.<\/p>\n
The incident reportedly occurred in the garden of a ground floor flat in Hackney, northeast London. The clip, which made its way to X (formerly Twitter), shows a man repeatedly smacking the animal \u2013 thought to be an XL Bully \u2013 with what appears to be a garden tool.<\/p>\n
In a later clip the creature was transported to safety by police. Officers confirmed the dog was taken to an animal hospital following the alleged attack on Wednesday (November 8) and is now in a stable condition, reports The Mirror.<\/p>\n
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Nobody was at the Pembury Gardens property when cops arrived. A man attended a police station on Thursday, however, and was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.<\/p>\n
The breed of the dog has not been confirmed. However, social media users believe the pooch, which was large and brown, may have been an XL Bully.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called around 10.55hrs on Wednesday, 8 November to an address in E5 to reports of a man assaulting a dog in the rear garden of the property. Officers attended the location and found a dog with injuries.<\/p>\n
"They were taken to an animal hospital, treated for facial injuries, and remain in care in a stable condition. No one was present at the address but a man has today (Thursday, 9 November) attended a police station and been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty."<\/p>\n
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An RSPCA spokesperson added: "This is a distressing video and we urge anyone who has first-hand information about this to contact us on 0300 1234 999."<\/p>\n
XL Bullies have become controversial after a spate of fatal or serious attacks across the country were attributed to them. The government announced plans to ban the dogs completely by February 1 of next year, while selling, breeding, advertising, rehoming, abandoning or allowing the dogs to stray will be outlawed from December 31.<\/p>\n
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