Buddy the golden retriever joined an anti-racism protest at Cincinnati, Ohio.
As anti-racism protests grip the United States, a dog was filmed at one protest site in a video going massively viral online. A video of the golden retriever holding a "Black lives matter" placard in his mouth as he marched along with protesters has collected over 8 million views on Twitter and invoked mixed reactions from viewers.
According to Daily Star, Sarah Emrick, 23, took to the streets with her dog Buddy in Cincinnati, Ohio, to join hundreds of others protesting the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, who died after being pinned beneath a police officer's knee for nine minutes.
Footage shows Ms Emrick walking her dog on a leash along with several other protesters on Sunday afternoon. Buddy was filmed walking calmly along with his owner, holding the cardboard sign in his mouth. Ms Emrick later took to Twitter to respond to criticism about bringing her dog to a protest, saying that she would "never let him be harmed".
"First time I've seen this," wrote Twitter user Nick Swartsell while sharing Buddy's video on the microblogging platform.
The video has garnered over 2.4 lakh 'likes' and thousands of comments - with many pointing out that the dog should not have been brought to a protest. Demonstrations have erupted coast-to-coast and turned violent at times.
Sarah Emrick responded to the criticism by saying that it was a peaceful protest and they left before curfew. "This Is my dog. I know him and I know that he could handle this," she wrote.
"It was a peaceful protest 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 added that she had not used her pet as a prop, saying that she had been the one carrying the sign before Buddy took it from her.
Photos of Buddy were also shared by the man behind the hugely popular 'We Rate Dogs' account, who said that the pup was doing fine after attending the protest.
The death of George Floyd has prompted unrest across the country. US President Donald Trump on Monday urged state governors to crack down on protests, as officials extended curfews in hopes of preventing a seventh night of looting and vandalism.
Click for more
trending news