PONCHATOULA - Days after three teenagers were arrested on animal cruelty charges, the dog at the center of the video has been surrendered to a new home. 

On Saturday, three 15-year-old boys from Ponchatoula were arrested on animal cruelty charges after a video taken in 2023 was shared multiple times on social media. 

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said they were alerted to the situation by a video that was posted recently and shared more than 1,500 times. It shows a person and a dog in the middle of a pond. When the dog starts swimming toward the bank, the person ignites the dog's shock collar. After the dog stops moving and refuses to swim toward duck decoys, the person punches the dog repeatedly in the head and neck area. 

One teen was arrested for one count of animal cruelty and two others were arrested for principal to animal cruelty. The sheriff's office said the person filming the video and the other person there were also booked due to "neither intervening on the dog's behalf."

Deputies said the incident happened in the Manchac area in early 2023. 

When the arrests happened, deputies contacted animal welfare and legal experts to evaluate the dog. Deputies said that the suspect's family agreed to surrender the dog to a new home, which will be coordinated by Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services. 

A parent of one of the boys shared the following statement with deputies:

“Devastated does not begin to cover how we feel about this entire situation. Because we love our son, we are committed to ensuring that he learns appropriately from this experience through accountability measures in the court system and at home. And because we love our dog, we are committed to ensuring it has a home where it is safe."