The two men were taken to court, receiving life bans from keeping animals and suspended prison sentences -- but many were upset with the leniency of their punishment.

And now it appears a 36-year-old man has taken matters into his own hands, giving one of the brothers a beating akin to the one their dog received.

Local police were called to the scene on April 3 and arrested the attacker, but released him following an interview.

"People may have the best of intentions, but they could put themselves at risk and they can also disrupt police or RSPCA investigations," a police spokesperson said.

"We would advise people not to carry out their own inquiries, but to contact the authorities and raise their concerns so they can be investigated thoroughly and in the safest possible way."

The video of the animal abuse, believed to be from October 2013, was only released widely after being found on a memory card that one of the brothers had dropped on the floor of a local supermarket.

A petition for a heftier punishment has garnered more than 800,000 signatures, according to Metro.

Newshub.