Man Used Fireworks To Scare Dog, Says Animal Services

Fulton County, GA — A man has been charged with animal cruelty after a video of him allegedly setting fireworks to ignite around his dog surfaced on Facebook.

Fulton County Animal Services has charged William Scaffidi with one count of animal cruelty and failure to obtain a license to own a pet in the county, according to 11 Alive.

The situation became known to officials when a video was posted to Facebook of Scaffidi lighting two sets of fireworks behind his dog, a husky mix, on his porch, the news station reports.

Tim Poorman, field services director with Fulton County Animal Services, said the video was recorded on the Fourth of July.

In the video, Scaffidi appears to light the fireworks in a way that would not tip off the dog. Once his job is done, the video allegedly shows Scaffidi scurrying back inside the home just before the fireworks go off.

The explosions leave the dog scrambling for cover, and Scaffidi is seen on video opening the front screen door for the dog once the mini show has ended.

The video was shared earlier this week by Animal Lives Matter, but it has since been taken down.

For his part, Scaffidi told WSB-TV that he didn't know the dog was there, and it was his "mistake" in uploading the video.

Scaffidi is scheduled to appear before a Fulton County Magistrate Court Judge on July 26 to answer for the charges.

Image via screenshot of video previously shared by Animal Lives Matter