DEXTER, Mo. - Claims on social media of animal abuse were investigated and determined to be unfounded, according to the Dexter Police Department.
At 6 a.m. Thursday, a Dexter Police employee was forwarded a link to a Facebook post that depicted photos of a dog with a wound on its head. Police reported at that time, an investigation was started.
Although officers did not know the address of the incident, the humane officer recognized the residence and made contact with the owners, according to a news release by the Dexter Police Department.
The owner of the animal stated around June 12 or 13, he noticed there were fly bites on the dog's ears and the dog had scratched the bites causing them to become inflamed. The animal was taken to a licensed veterinarian for treatment.
"The animal is being treated with antibiotics and the veterinarian advised the owners there are topical medicines that could be applied to the wounds, but that Vaseline could be applied in lieu of the more expensive medicine. The owners opted to purchase the expensive medicine and have been applying it to the wounds," Dexter Police reported.
During this same time frame, a complaint was lodged to the Humane Society but not the Dexter Police Department about the condition of this animal, officials noted. An investigator from the Humane Society responded to the residence and determined the course of treatment was appropriate and the case was closed.
Police said at the time of their posting on Thursday, there were over 300 Facebook shares of the original posting.
"We've seen a lot of the comments on the shares: 'Dexter Animal Control will not do anything,' 'Please contact whoever it takes,' 'Let's help get this out there.' Nobody wants to see animals mistreated and when photos like this are posted, in this day and age, it's easy to 'share' anything with a click of the button without knowing the rest of the story," officials stated.
Authorities noted although the incident was already under investigation, the first actual telephone call that reported the initial Facebook post was from a Sikeston woman, who saw a Facebook share and picked up the phone and called police 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
"We didn't even receive a message to our Facebook page about this situation. If you think an animal is being abused or neglected, please call us immediately," officials stated. "A Facebook share may not be enough to save an animal that is in a life threatening situation."
Dexter police stated while they appreciate everyone's involvement in reporting incidents of this nature, they want to caution the public as well. They pointed out entering someone else's property without permission can subject an individual to possible criminal prosecution for trespassing or harassment.