Animal cruelty on video that has thousands of fans: lawyer warns

2025. January 26 - Photos: Getty Images Hungary
2025. January 26 - Photos: Getty Images Hungary
We asked Dr Cecília Kajó, a lawyer, and Dr Lilla Balatonyi, a veterinarian, about a discouraging but typical phenomenon. Many people don't realise that they are liking an animal cruelty story, which has serious consequences for the dog. We also look at what you can do if you come across something like this online.
Several videos have come to our attention of the owner teasing and teasing his smaller pet with violent kissing, hugging and barking. These clearly make the dog tense, and it would flee from a stressful situation, even if it means biting (which is the most drastic reaction the animal can take). As many viewers have seen from the videos uploaded to social media. Those who like it, share it and comment with a smile on their face, not even realising that they are witnessing animal cruelty. Which can have a detrimental effect not only on the mental health of the dog, but also on its physical health in the long run.
Dr Cecília Kajó, an animal welfare lawyer and author of our magazine, points out one very important thing after watching the videos: good stewardship. It is not just a general term for a set of criteria and actions for good animal husbandry, but also a legal concept in the Animal Welfare Act. What it covers is summarised here:
Keeping your animal according to its species, breed, sex, age, and physical, physiological, breeding, ethological and health characteristics requires knowing exactly what kind of animal you are keeping. On the one hand, because we were already aware of the basic husbandry conditions required, the behavioural set-up, the habits, the occupational content and the time required for the animal’s species and breed before the purchase, and on the other hand, because we were able to continuously personalise this general knowledge to our animal after the purchase.
Adding that the basic human needs modelling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, except for the top levels such as self-actualisation, creativity, personality development, also provides a good description of what all living beings need in general and in what order.
For the purposes of our present topic, the second level in the pyramid, based directly on the physiological needs (eating, drinking, sleeping, defecating, reproducing), is security. It is also mutually reciprocal: the animal should feel safe with its owner, and the owner should feel safe with its own animal
– explains the lawyer.
At this point, we can move on to the broader theme of this article, which is why it is wrong, or even cruel, to constantly tease your pet as part of the show. “Just as animal husbandry is a lifelong learning process, so too is participation in some segment of the animal welfare system. I can honestly say that a few years ago, I used to watch, or even share, videos without any basic knowledge of what was considered cute, where the animal in question danced, performed or, being the size of a mouse, went on a huge battle rage against a much larger opponent or owner. Partly after much study, I now know that most of the videos that were thought to be cute were caused by a specific disease.
One example, a case from the Vahur Association rescue in Ajka. A recurring kicking movement of a dog, which we interpret as a dance, is distemper virus infection is the final, often pre-mortal stage. Or the behavioural disorders and stereotyped behaviours that result from years of confinement or restricted freedom of movement (kennelling or chaining) are shown in a video,” she points out, highlighting the sad reality. She stresses that if an animal is behaving in a way that is very similar to humans – bathing for long periods, dancing, eating sitting up, walking around with a backpack on two legs – it is worth suspecting that behaviour that is not natural to it is a sign that the animal is not comfortable in the situation.
In the context of the chasing of small dogs, the lawyer points out why the content producer chooses these small animals as his opponent and not a Caucasian Shepherd Dog or other larger breeds:
the psychological thread here is obviously that the common link between, for example, abuse, sexual violence and animal cruelty is the exercise of power, oppression, humiliation, and the choice of the clearly, always weaker party, never seeking an equal partner in the confrontation.
As he explains, in these cases, the security factor is disproportionately skewed in favour of the master. While the small dog poses no threat to him, he poses a greater threat to the animal. Furthermore, it is highly likely that the person is completely unaware of the true meaning of the behaviour and the consequences. (Or doesn’t care…) On the latter, in response to our question Dr Lilla Balatonyi confirmed that prolonged stress can have a detrimental effect on both mental and physical health. Studies have also shown that stress and anxiety in pets can be a breeding ground for a number of behavioural problems. It can also increase the risk of developing certain diseases.
Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with this kind of recording, even if the person is foreign. Dr Cecília Kajó explained what steps can be taken to help the animal in both cases.
If such “funny” videos are made over a long period of time, a detailed analysis (not by lawyers, of course, but by experts: veterinarians, ethologists, biologists or other professionals with expertise in this field) can lead to the criminalisation of animal cruelty and the criminal prosecution of the video maker if such unjustified treatment could lead to permanent damage or destruction. Such constant insecurity, mockery and teasing is certainly not the province of a responsible pet owner and, unfortunately, as with everything else, supply is in line with demand: the more people watch and react to such videos, the more of them are made
– the expert pointed out. “If you encounter a foreign creator on social networks, report it by selecting the appropriate menu item. If possible, we should take evidence, so save the video and the profile details of the person who made it, giving their name, any place they live or contact details, and other relevant information about themselves. This can then be an annex to the denunciation, which the authorities can use as a basis for action. It’s no shame if we didn’t know before that such videos are not cute, but harmful, if together we can figure out how to deal with these phenomena in the future, which are completely outside the scope of responsible animal husbandry,” the lawyer answers our question.
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