Video of dog possibly in distress goes viral

Thousands react to condition of Great Dane on Facebook

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A video of dog that appears to be very thin inside a rather untidy local home has come to the attention of thousands on Facebook.

This week the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) received an anonymous complaint stating the dog, Alaska, was being neglected. Now an investigation is underway, and the owner has been cited.

Recommended Videos



Many people are riled up about the video of Alaska. On Facebook things have gotten so bad, the dog’s owner said she has received threats. 

According to JSO, the video was posted on a Facebook page called, “Pet Rescue North,” after a 12-year-old boy, concerned for his dog’s health, sent the video to his grandmother.

Now the incident has neighbors shocked at the thought that a possible act of animal cruelty could be happening next door.

Melva Wright, a neighbor, has known the dog owner for three years and said she’s never seen the police to her neighbor’s door until this week.

“She has always been a responsible person as far as her children and her animal. So what I see now on the video is not how she was before. So the video to me is also concerning,” Wright said. "Never have the cops been there. She’s not someone I would think the cops would be so concerned about."

According to Animal Control and Protective Services, a supervisor met with the owner and she allowed him to take a closer look at the Great Dane called Alaska.

The supervisor noted the dog was very underweight, but otherwise healthy, alert, friendly and very active. The dog owner told authorities Alaska has a history of stomach issues causing the dog to lose weight. So the supervisor said he would be back for paperwork proving that was the case.

However, when investigators returned to the home there was no response, and no documents.

A citation has been issued to the owner for neglecting an animal.

Animal Control will follow up and if Alaska is found to be in distress, it will be confiscated.