While driving down a road in Denver on a snowy day, someone snapped a photo that has taken social media by storm and amassed a lot of criticism, and rightfully so in our eyes.
In the back of a truck bed was a dog covered in snow with the tailgate down.
Authorities say it’s legal to have a dog in the back of a truck even with an unsecured tailgate, but this situation could be considered animal cruelty.
“The law is not cut and dry on this but the driver could be cited with a violation of animal cruelty if there was enough evidence,” the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement.
The wind chill, dog breed, and the dog’s appearance would all be taken into account.
While a Malamute can withstand extreme cold better than average dogs, the temperature at the time of the incident showed 16-degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of 0-degrees putting the dog at risk of frostbite.
And in the back of a truck going nearly 50 mph, it most certainly felt even colder than that.
