Netizens were quick to react after a video of a Japanese blind man who kicked his guide dog went viral. A petition that garnered over 12,000 signatures has the blind man banned from owning another guide dog for life.
The man, whose identity remains hidden, was at a train station in Saitama prefecture on October 8 when he was caught by an onlooker. The kick on his dog seems to be a go-signal keep moving.
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The viral video has since garnered more than 600,000 views and 4,000 shares on Facebook. Major media outlets in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong have also covered the incident.
On the video, the guide dog can be seen sitting on the ground floor beside the blind man. Moments after, the man kicks the dog hard in the head which seems to be a cue for the dog to get up and walk him around the station.
According to Shoichi Gori Taniguchi, the person who videotaped the man and uploaded the clip on Facebook, the man was already kicking the dog before he rolled his camera on, catching his attention so he began filming it using his smartphone.
Watch the entire clip below:
Netizens were enraged by the blind man's act, as some even suggested that this man be not forgiven for his mistake. After the public exposure of the video, a petition on Change.org was launched to tighten the regulations on dog ownership. The petition now has more than 12,000 signatures.
Ultimately, the man was barred from owning a guide dog for life, per the decision released by the Japan Guide Dog Association. His dog is now under the custody of Rescue Japanese Animal Victims.
