In early March 2008, major media outlets ran the story about a viral video of a United States Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq.[1] The video soon became the subject of media self-scrutiny, with reports citing its spread as a viral internet phenomenon.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
The video shows two Marines with a puppy. One of them, later identified as Lance Corporal David Motari, of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, is holding the puppy by the scruff of its neck. After making some admiring remarks about the animal ("so cute, little puppy"), Motari then leans back and tosses the puppy off the cliff. The puppy is heard whimpering as it is about to be tossed, and loudly yelps as it flies through the air. An off-camera marine is heard saying "Oh that's mean, that's just mean Motari", in a somewhat sarcastic tone, then slightly snickers to himself.[10]
Questions were raised about the verifiability of the 17-second video, including whether the puppy was a living animal or a toy, and whether the name of the perpetrator associated with the event was accurate.[8] In mid June 2008, CNN reported that Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion, the Marine who had videotaped the event was disciplined and that Lance Corporal David Motari, who had killed the young dog, had been discharged from the military.[11]