Three Greek soldiers who recorded themselves tormenting a dog and then throwing it off a cliff have been arrested.
The incident took place at a military unit in Epirus a few months ago. On Sunday one of the perpetrators uploaded the footage to Facebook and received responses of horror from fellow users.
The culprits have since been identified and are believed to have been fired according to reports, with police preparing to press charges against them for animal abuse, video recording of the act, and other offences.
Despite the ordeal, the dog managed to survive with the help of an elderly man from a nearby village. He found the injured animal and took him in, providing him with shelter, food and water.
There are now plans to move the dog to a shelter in the town of Konitsa.
In the past few years there has been a rise in stray dogs in Greece in part due to the financial crisis, with people struggling to look after them.
The Greek government is now looking to create a legal framework to protect animals, with a bill drafted and posted online last week for public consultation that obligates owners of pets to neuter them or pay a levy.
