Dogs in custody after video of beating

Two dogs taken into custody Monday after a video surfaced showing one of them being beaten over the weekend are "doing well," Melissa Smith, executive director of the York County SPCA, said Monday night.

The two-and-a-half minute video posted on Facebook showed a man pulling the dog by its collar and then punching it. Later in the video, the man beat the dog with what appears to be a belt. The dog howled in response.

One version of the video, which garnered attention on Facebook, has since been removed. Another version, which was posted on our "Fixing York PA" community page, is provided below.

The SPCA received an initial email about it on Monday morning, but the incident happened on Saturday, Smith said. The agency, along with York City Police, responded to the first block of East South Street in York and took the pit bulls into custody.

The SPCA is in charge of the investigation, she said. She is waiting for a report from a veterinarian, who examined the dogs.

From an animal lover's perspective, the video is difficult to watch, she said.

"Just as a human being seeing something like that occur, I think it sadly speaks to the violence in our society," Smith said.

Smith said she and her staff have been dealing with the incident all day -- even after the dogs were taken into custody. She cautioned about posting videos to Facebook. People who take videos or snap photographs have to come forward so the images can be used as evidence.

Also, some people with good intentions showed up in the neighborhood on Monday after seeing the video, she said. Law enforcement converged on the area around the same time, she said. But it had the potential to become a hostile situation.

"That can really interfere with a criminal investigation," she said.

Law enforcement or the SPCA are the agencies authorized to respond to the report, she said.

The SPCA needs to retain custody of the dog, Smith said. The dog is evidence.

Log into Facebook to watch this video of the assault. WARNING: The video contains graphic content, and should be viewed with discretion.