A Collin County woman is facing charges after a stranger's Ring doorbell camera captured video of her slapping and kicking her dog.
The owner of the doorbell camera didn't recognize the woman on his front lawn, seen grabbing a dog by its collar then slapping and kicking the pet. She is seen picking him up and carrying him out of view of the video.
The doorbell camera owner posted the video online shortly after the incident on August 12 - where it was shared in local Facebook groups.
"One of our officers saw the video surfacing on one of our 'All About Anna, Texas' pages and obviously got disturbed and started looking into it," said Anna Police Chief Jeff Caponera.
Caponera says officers were able to track down the Ring doorbell owner then canvas the neighborhood, eventually learning the identity of the woman on the video.
"This kind of case is particularly important because animals don't have a voice, they can't call the police and tell us what's going on in the home," said Caponera. "It was important for us to be able to get down to the root of the problem and see what actually was going on."
Police say the woman admitted she hit her dog after she was forced to chase him when he ran from home.
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"Frustration is not an excuse. It wouldn't excuse any type of behavior whether it's against a child, against a dog, or any other animal," said Caponera.
Caponera says police filed charges against the woman and the DA's office is reviewing the case. Police say they expect the woman will face a misdemeanor charge of maltreatment of an animal and animal at large.
A veterinarian examined the dog and determined he was not injured and there was no evidence of continuous abuse, according to police.
"As egregious as it looks on the video, the elements just don't rise to the felony level we would have liked it to," said Caponera.
The dog was returned to the owner.
Police say there are other pets and children in the home. There were no signs they are mistreated.
