Warning: Graphic details in the story below

An east London family is looking for answers after witnessing a horrific case of animal abuse.

Shannon Odendahl was taking her dog for its usual backyard walk Thursday, when she observed a vicious assault in a nearby yard.

“It’s a picture you can't get out of your mind,” she said.

CTV London has obtained the graphic surveillance video from the apartment complex where the dog was attacked.

Odendahl described what she witnessed through the trees. “A dog is huddled on the ground, bent over, (the man's) fist is coming straight back.”

She said he also kicked the dog and stomped on its head. Then he picked the dog up and dragged it up the stairs.

Odendahl and her daughter Sarah Brule got on the phone to report the incident. But unsure where to go to get answers, they ended up frustrated.

They made calls to the London police, the London Humane Society and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

On Sunday, the pair went to the London Humane Society in person.

They were told the agency is just a local shelter.

“It’s a continuous circle we were involved in,” Odendahl said.

“All I’m asking is that government authorities kick into action and retrieve the dog.”

Odendahl said she would take in the dog and pay for its medical expenses.

London police confirmed to CTV London that they have started an investigation.

Meanwhile, Odendahl said she can’t get the pictures of what happened out of her head.

“I wake up in the night. The brutality is horrendous. There are no other words. I was paralyzed by the brutality of the attack.”

- With files from Kathy Rumleski