Although the internet's love of dogs is undeniably powerful, it's also true that not everyone likes them quite as much as we might assume from how vocal their fans are.
Yet, no matter how true that may be, many of the people who fall in that camp would still agree that we should not tolerate cruelty towards them.
And so, the intense public response to a particularly vile act against an innocent dog is understandable, but police are saying it also isn't terribly helpful.
Who could harm such an innocent animal and then think that it is funny?
As Cornwall Live reported, the clip shows a teenager throwing this dog off the edge as his friend films the act.
As Cornwall Live reported, the person filming can apparently be heard "shrieking with laughter."
As The Daily Mail reported, some cliffs in the Falmouth area are over 100 feet high, so there's no telling what kind of risk the instigators exposed this dog to.
These images are very hard to look at.
Thankfully, there is some good news ahead.
It can be seen swimming towards shore, but those who saw the footage weren't able to confirm the dog's well-being, especially without knowing the temperature of the water that day.
However, the understandable fervor gave way to some speculation as some viewers were apparently led to believe that the dog had to be put down after breaking its back.
As Cornwall Live reported, police also asked members of the public, particularly those active on social media, not to speculate about what happened or about the identity of the people involved.
The rumor outlined above was likely the reason for this statement.
As a representative said, “We ask that people, including users of social media, do not speculate around the circumstances of this incident, or the individual involved."
The investigation is still going on.
"We are very concerned about this incident and would like to reassure people we are looking into it," an RSPCA spokesperson explained.
According to The Daily Mail, the video and a series of shared copies of it have since been deleted.
No animal deserves the horrible treatment like the one the teenager put their dog through.
h/t: Cornwall Live
