Long Island Fraternity Suspended After Forcing Dog To Drink Beer

Members of Hofstra University's Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter weren't the only ones drinking from a keg at a recent party. A widely shared video, originally posted to Snapchat, appears to show members of the fraternity holding a dog and squirting beer from a keg into its mouth. The video was reportedly filmed Saturday at an off-campus party. Per NBC News, the Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) investigated the circumstances of the video; Hofstra has since suspended the fraternity.

An SPCA investigator followed up with its owner to check on the welfare of the dog, a 10-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, who is said to be in fine health. The dog's owner is reportedly a member of the fraternity, and is 21. The SPCA ordered members yesterday to take the dog to a veterinarian so it could be evaluated; the owner has since signed over ownership of the dog to the SPCA. Pending results of the vet's evaluation, the SPCA and local district attorney will decide whether to press charges.

In the meantime, the university has suspended all Alpha Epsilon Pi activity, and some neighbors of the fraternity house tell News 12 Long Island they're relieved.

"That's all they do—drink, play football," neighbor Walter Szpaczynsky said. "Can't stand it anymore."

Alcohol can be harmful to dogs in the same way it can be harmful to humans, but because dogs are mostly smaller than humans, it can effect them more gravely. The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association cautions that alcohol can cause dogs to become intoxicated or weak, go into a coma, or even die of respiratory failure. While it doesn't appear the spaniel in Long Island consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol, it's clear the SPCA and university authorities are taking the incident seriously.