One Kicked Dog Leads to Animal Cruelty Charge in East Goshen Township
A neighbor’s video of a man striking a cowering dog at Goshen Valley Apartments prompted a swift police response and a summary offense charge.
By Beatriz Soto ·
Alexx Travaglini began recording her phone the moment she saw a familiar figure walking a dog outside her window in East Goshen Township.
The footage captured the man kicking the animal while it was on the ground. Police in Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police received the video and opened an investigation into the incident at Goshen Valley Apartments.
Travaglini said she kept her camera ready because she had previously observed the man acting aggressively toward the dog. She described the dog pulling away on its leash and getting low to the ground before the kick. She noted that the animal’s reaction indicated it was accustomed to that type of treatment.
The video quickly spread to Tiffany Stair, co-founder of Revolution Philadelphia, a nonprofit animal rights organization. Stair stated that the group received the clip from roughly a dozen people the previous night. They asked the organization to intervene. Stair contacted police to ensure the incident was being treated as a formal case.
Within hours of Stair’s outreach, police posted on Facebook that the matter was under investigation. Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police confirmed that the man is now facing a charge of animal cruelty. The department identified the charge as a summary offense.
Police stated that they cannot release the man’s name. The summary offense allows for fines and potential jail time. Stair pointed to the dog’s body language in the video as a clear sign of fear. She observed that the dog cowered when the man stepped closer. Stair also raised concerns about the dog’s current conditions at the residence.
The incident occurred at the Goshen Valley Apartments. The man was walking the dog at the time of the recording. The video shows the dog on a leash. The kick occurred while the dog was down on the ground. Police are proceeding with the case under the summary offense classification.
