A dog is going crazy viral after it was spotted holding a ‘Black lives matter’ placard in its mouth during a recent protest in Cincinnati, Ohio. Protests have broken out all over the US after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Social media has since been flooded with pictures and videos of the nationwide protests.
“First time I’ve seen this,” Twitter user Nick Swartsell tweeted while sharing the video of the dog with the placard. It has now gathered over 8.3 million views – and counting.
While several people were amazed to see such an unusual protestor, it also sparked a debate online. A few people crtisised the dog’s human for taking the canine to a protest walk. The dog’s owner, identified as Sarah Emrick, took to Twitter to clear the air about the dog.
{{/usCountry}}While several people were amazed to see such an unusual protestor, it also sparked a debate online. A few people crtisised the dog’s human for taking the canine to a protest walk. The dog’s owner, identified as Sarah Emrick, took to Twitter to clear the air about the dog.
{{/usCountry}}In her tweet she wrote, “This is my dog. I know him and I know that he could handle this.” Emrick then added that the protest was peaceful and no one was hurt. “I was aware of my surroundings and was very careful to make sure neither of us got hurt. And I left before the curfew kicked in at 9. He was happy to be there,” she wrote in the tweet’s concluding lines. She also shared an image of the dog, named Buddy, holding the same placard from the video:
In another tweet, Emrick wrote, “I understand that people don’t think he should’ve been there but I was aware of my surroundings and I would never let him be harmed.” She ended the tweet with the line, “Buddy sends his love.”
Images of this protestor dog were also shared by a Twitter user named Matt, who runs the famous Twitter profile We Rate Dogs. He wrote that he is happy to report that the “protest pup” Buddy is doing fine. He also added that the dog has two cat friends. Matt further gave a little insight about Buddy’s characteristics which include “going on adventures and supporting his humans more than anything.”
While replying to his own tweet, Matt also shared another picture of Buddy with his sugar glider friend.
Sarah Emrick and Buddy were in the “Be Heard, Be Safe; Rally for Justice” protest where they marched from Inwood Park towards downtown areas.