The owner of the puppy, forced to walk on his hind legs in a video that sparked outrage online this week, calls the criticism of the dog walker “unfair and uncalled for.”

Julia Sakas, owner of nine-month-old Jerry Garcia, a cocker spaniel and miniature poodle mix, said she trusts Austin St-Jacques “to keep my puppy safe every day.”

“Austin has been an excellent addition to Jerry’s family — not only does he enjoy his daily walks with the Woof Pack while we are at work, Jerry has also learned so much from Austin about how to properly and safely walk on busy downtown Toronto streets,” she wrote in a letter to the Star.

“I have never had any concern about his safety while in Austin’s care, and that remains true today. In fact, I still recommend Austin to other dog owners, and will continue to do so regardless of the unfair accusations that are circling around on social media, which I certainly hope will be cleared up after what I have just stated.”

Last week, Aleksander Kupisz posted a video on Instagram that showed St-Jacques walking Jerry on his hind legs, in the area around Christie Pitts Park.

Kupisz said the dog was “terrified” and was “dragged” for about 50 metres.

The incident is being investigated by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. OSPCA spokesperson Melissa Kosowan said normally a dog would be walking on all four legs.

“While it is great that people like Mr. Kupisz are keeping an eye out for animal rights and calling out abusers, in this case, he’s got the wrong guy,” Sakas wrote in the letter.

“I would simply like to state that I trust Austin St.-Jacques with ensuring Jerry’s health and safety when in his care,” Sakas added. “I feel that he has been treated unfairly on social media and wanted to let everyone know that Jerry is unharmed and that comments about Austin being a ‘dog abuser’ were unfair and uncalled for.”

Sakas didn’t comment further when contacted by the Star.

One of the other concerns raised by people on social media was about the three other dogs being walked off-leash on the sidewalk, in violation of city bylaws.

St-Jacques told the Star earlier that he saw no harm in dogs being walked off-leash.

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“Cops give me thumbs up when they see me. They say, ‘hey that’s so cool.’ And bylaw officials — as long as you’re not too outrageous with it, the bylaw officials are nice with me.”

The City of Toronto requires a permit for a dog walker to walk between four and six dogs at any one time.