TCSO: Viral Video Of Alleged Animal Abuse Isn’t What It Seems

A video posted from Berryhill generated complaints from all over the country about a suspected case of animal abuse.

Dozens of calls and a many Facebook messages came into Tulsa County reporting two goats being mauled by a dog, but the sheriff's office said it's not what it seems.

Two goats in Berryhill have spent a year with a backyard companion, a large dog named Gunner.

Gunner likes to grab the goats by the legs and gnaw on them, which attracted the attention of a neighbor worried the goats were being abused.

“I decided to put it on Facebook and thought, ‘I'm going to keep posting and posting and posting until something gets done,’ and that's what I did,” neighbor Erica Gonzalez said.

Her latest post led to calls into 911 from all over the country, but deputies said it's not animal abuse.

"We did not perceive any kind of abuse out here. The goats were in good health, the dog was in good health. There were no kinds of injuries to the goats we found while we were out here on the scene," Deputy Justin Green said.

The owners disputed the idea the dog was mistreating the goats and said the injuries to one of the goat’s legs didn't appear serious.

“That's just how they play, and he doesn't get too rough and the goat head butts him sometimes when they want to play. It's normal play for them,” homeowner Roxanne Arnold said.

But after they said they were threatened online they decided it was better to get rid of the goats.

“Stop the threats and just kind of make everybody happy. Doesn't make us happy, but got to do what stops everything,” Arnold said.

The Wild Heart Animal Rescue agreed to take them but said the online report about the goats being in immediate danger was overstated.

"I don't think they were in dire need and not going to die anytime soon, but, definitely, you don't want any other animal getting chewed on by anybody else, that's just common sense," said Dave Strickland with While Heart Animal Rescue.

The sheriff's department has ended its investigation and the sanctuary said the goats will live out their lives on the farm.