Glastonbury police are looking into allegations of animal cruelty stemming from a video that surfaced online, which appears to show a man kicking his dog. The video, shared by animal rights group Desmond's Army Animal Law Advocates, shows Mike Gerchy, a local fitness influencer with nearly 85,000 followers on Instagram, physically confronting his dog, Stitch.
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In a statement on Thursday, the Glastonbury Police Department acknowledged public interest and thanked those who brought the video and incident to their attention, though they did not disclose any names linked to the investigation.
Gerchy responded to the video, claiming it was two years old and manipulated. He took to Instagram to argue that his actions were a reaction to protect two children present in the room and another dog, Thor. He stated, "Am I proud of what happened? Absolutely not. But because of what I did and how quick my actions were, Thor is still alive, and also because of that, Stitch is still alive."
He further explained that Stitch had previously attacked Thor on multiple occasions, resulting in significant injuries and expenses totaling around $16,000.
In his explanations across three Instagram posts published over two days, Gerchy insisted that he loves his dogs intensely, stating, "I spend every waking second with my dogs, 24 hours a day. They are my life, and I love them more than anything." He shared a video he claims shows the moments leading up to the controversial footage, depicting the children playing when Stitch allegedly bit Thor, prompting his intervention.
As the investigation unfolds, the community continues to express concern about the situation.