Animal rights group forcefully take dog off homeless man

French animal rights group workers have allegedly been caught on camera restraining a homeless Paris man and stealing his puppy.

In a video, shared on Facebook by witness Nghi Le Duc on September 21, we see the homeless man wrestling on the ground with another man, while a woman tries to take the dog.

The video has since been viewed more than 1.2 million times.

The two attackers believed to be from group Cause Animal Nord are seen snatching the yelping puppy as the homeless man tries desperately to stop them.

A third man then grabs the animal.

The woman is heard shouting at shocked bystanders as the dog’s owner chases the thief down the street.

Mr Duc said he watched the incident in horror.

“Three French who represent of the association ‘Cause Animale Nord’ and who also represent The Law… took violently, mercilessly, a small dog - a little friend of a homeless person from him, even though this homeless person cried and begged them! I was in shock when I saw this scene in Paris,” he posted on Facebook.

Mr Duc then shared ‘evidence’ of the stolen dog’s fate, in the form of a photo on the Cause Animal Nord Facebook page.
“Here is the dog (in my opinion),” he said.

The photo is of a dog that looks like the one stolen in the video.

“Vegan (name in memory of our beliefs), little dog, rescued at the Marche,” it reads.

“We took it from a Roma who was begging. The police do nothing, we act. You too can take action, it just takes a little courage.

“[The dog] will be put up for adoption.”

Cause Animale Nord has explained its actions, claiming the man was exploiting the dog and using it to help panhandle for money.

“It wasn't a homeless guy but a Roma... He's screaming because it's his livelihood,” they claimed.