Police in Da Lat City, in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, met on Thursday with the owner of an Alaskan Malamute dog that had been used as a prop for paid photos with tourists at Lam Vien Square and was reportedly brutally beaten.

Earlier, videos showing the dog being brutally hit went viral on social media.

The owner, L.D.L., a 28-year-old resident of Lam Dong Province, said he spent VND300 million (US$12,000) buying five Alaskan Malamute dogs in May so that he could use them for paid photography services at Lam Vien Square, a practice now under scrutiny.

L. has been keeping the dogs on a local pig farm.  

He bought a fourth Alaskan Malamute for VND25 million ($1,000) in July and named the dog Bon.

P.T.T.T., a 39-year-old resident in Da Lat, contributed VND10 million ($400) to use the dog for photography services with L..

T. later asked his 13-year-old son, T.T.Q., to care for the dog during his summer vacation.

On July 20, while letting tourists take photos with the dog, the boy was bitten by the canine.

He got angry and repeatedly kicked the dog and took it to the pig farm where he continued to use a plastic pipe to strike its mouth and face.

L. returned the VND10 million to T. on August 1 and resumed caring for the dog himself.

L. claimed that the dog was vicious, so it needed further “training."

He added that he did not know the boy had beaten the dog until videos of his acts surfaced on social media.

One of the videos showed the boy repeatedly striking the dog's mouth and face with a stick before slapping its head while the animal was chained to an iron column.

The dog could be heard groaning in pain.

Another video showed two young men kicking the dog at Lam Vien Square, causing it to collapse.

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