Medford dog walker charged with animal cruelty after being caught on video

A Medford man was arrested on a charge of animal cruelty after multiple witnesses told police that they saw him mistreating a dog. Some of the alleged animal abuse was captured on video that circulated on social media and was eventually shared with police.

Frederick Ingrando, 33, was arrested Sunday. The dogs were not owned by Ingrando, who was working as a hired dog walker at the time of the incident, police said.

Medford Police responded to the area of Fellsway West and Sheridan Avenue around 11 a.m. Sunday.

“According to witnesses, the man struck one of the dogs multiple times in the head and then lifted the dog off the ground by its collar in a harmful manner,” Medford Police said in a statement.

A video was shared with police, who were able to identify Ingrando. They went to his home and arrested him.

Ingrando was arraigned Monday in Somerville District Court. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.

As he left the courthouse, Ingrando was followed by reporters. When asked why he wanted to keep working with dogs, Ingrando responded to the allegations.

“I love dogs,” Ingrando said, according to Boston 25 News. “Nothing happened…It’s a false report…I love dogs. I’ve always loved dogs! That’s all I have to say…It’s exaggerated.”

On Sunday afternoon, police said that the dogs had been removed and were in a safe location awaiting pick-up by their owners. The dog that Ingrando allegedly struck was taken to a local veterinarian to be evaluated. It was later released, Medford Police said in a Facebook comment.

Videos of the incident were shared with Ohmydog, a dog training company based in Malden. They were then posted on Facebook. In one clip, a man in a yellow hoodie walking multiple dogs can be seen grabbing what appears to be a golden retriever and forcing it towards the ground.

In another clip, a witness confronts the dog walker, who responds with repeated racial slurs while walking away.

“This is vile disgusting behavior,” Katie Bates, owner of Ohmydog, wrote on Facebook.

Medford Police responded to a comment on Facebook regarding the racial slurs.

“This is still a very active investigation and additional charges may be forthcoming,” police said.

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