The Vetic Pet Clinic located near R Mall in Thane has gathered hate after a video showing their staff hitting a pet dog on the pretext of a grooming session surfaced on social media. It triggered animal lovers who slammed the outlet with distressing reviews on Google. Disturbed and angered by the incident that exposed the vulnerable treatment given to the loved pets when sent there for grooming and care, several people voiced out against the animal cruelty taking place on the premises.
(Warning: Video shows violence towards animal)
Shocking video shows pet dog beaten up repeatedly for 'FUN'
The video shows a uniformed Vetic staff mishandling one of the pets, purportedly a Chow Chow, and beating it up. The man was seen repeatedly hitting the animal without any guilt. He punched the dog's face and its body while facing the camera until the animal barked for help and jumped off the bed to its own rescue. It ran towards the door and exited the premises, before which the man also kicked the pet dog with giggles.
Vetic Responds:
"This is a deeply disturbing incident involving a pet and 2 of our groomers. As pet parents and animal lovers, this is shocking and completely unacceptable to us. As a first step, we have immediately terminated both of them and logged a formal investigation into this. We are also working alongside the authorities and have initiated police action in this matter," a Vetic spokesperson told Free Press Journal.
"We understand the trust you place in us when you choose Vetic for your furry baby's care, and we are committed to upholding that trust with the highest standards of compassion and professionalism," the spokesperson added.
Animal lovers slam misconduct towards pets
While questioning how the grooming centre turned out to be a torture home for pets, one of the many reviews, read, "Horrible place, don't send ur pets (here)." "Do not take your fur babies to this vet. Not recommended. Staff mishandles pets," another following while drawing light on others towards the real side of the clinic.
People gather outside clinic to raise voice against animal cruelty
Apart from an outrage on social media, some also stepped towards the clinic to question the staff and managers over the unacceptable treatment given to the animals there. Visuals from the area showed people gathering outside the clinic and confronting the staff over the incident of animal cruelty.
Celebs react to disturbing incident
Taking note of the incident that showed a staff repeatedly beating a pet dog at the grooming centre, celebrities such as Varun Dhawan, Prateek Babbar, and Aly Goni commented on the Instagram video shared by Streets Dogs Of Bombay, a page that often voices issues of animals in the city and at times, even other parts of the country.
PAWS demands action
It was learned that the Founder of PAWS (Plant and Animals Welfare Society) Nilesh Bhanage echoed the voices of animal lovers by writing to the District Commissioner demanding immediate and strict action against the clinic and its concerned staff.
In his letter (copy accessed by FPJ) addressing the cruelty at the clinic, he urged the authorities to examine whether the outlet was legally allowed to operate in accordance with the legislation, the regulations and guidelines set forth by the government and the Animal Welfare Board of India.
Dog Tofu's Condition Now Stable:
Involved staff allegedly sacked
Varun Dhawan mentioned that he looks forward to speaking to the necessary authorities for action against the miscreants. Meanwhile, a People for Animals (PFA) activist named Noor Verma stated that the owner of the Vetic Pet Clinic Gaurav Ajmera sacked the two employees who misbehaved with the pet and recorded the video of it.
Thane chow-chow dog case
In a similar incident, two employees of a veterinary clinic have been detained for allegedly brutally thrashing a chow chow dog. The video of the horrific incident had gone viral on social media, leading to widespread uproar.
The incident reportedly took place at the Vatic pet clinic, Varun Arcade, Ghodbunder Road, in Manpada, Thane. The duo was identified as Mayur Michael Jadhav, 19, a resident of Matunga and Prashant Gaikwad, 20, of Murbad, according to the Chitalsar police station official.
