A photo of a dog with a duct-taped muzzle uploaded to a Facebook account Friday outraged animal lovers worldwide and frustrated local police officers.
The photo, which has been shared more than 300,000 times, was uploaded to a Facebook account belonging to Katharine Lemansky, 45, of Avon, Conn.
“This is what happens when you dont shut up!!!” the post said.
Lemansky goes by the name Katie Brown online.
“Dont panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasnt barked since... POINT MADE!!!” a follow-up post said.
Because her Facebook account lists her current city as South Daytona, animal lovers from across the globe inundated the South Daytona Police Department with thousands of phone calls, emails and social media messages, urging the law-enforcement agency to investigate the photo.
“At first, we were unable to say where it happened at until we located her,” said South Daytona police Lt. Dan Dietrich. “Then we learned that she's been living in Avon, Conn. for the past year, year and a half. And the dog has never been in South Daytona."
The flood of emails, Dietrich says, has crashed the city’s server. To field the endless flow of phone calls, seven employees are working overtime, recording the same messages thousands of times.
Dietrich said if Lemansky has committed a crime, she’ll likely face charges in Connecticut. But if she were to return to South Daytona, the city’s animal control department is authorized to confiscate the animal.
"It's sad,” said Rebecca Ednie, Lemansky’s former neighbor. “Why would anybody hurt an animal? Animals have feelings just like us, you know?"
Lemansky hasn’t returned Channel 9’s phone calls.
The investigation has been turned over to the Avon Police Department in Connecticut, Dietrich said.
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