A woman accused of duct-taping her dog's muzzle shut and posting the photo to Facebook has been charged with animal cruelty.
The 45-year-old shared the post on Friday with the caption: 'This is what happens when you don't shut up!!!'.
The photo had been shared over 150,000 times by 11am on Saturday, with police across several states receiving concerned phone calls from the public.
Police say Katharine F. Lemansky admitted to the incident, which reportedly took place in Cary, North Carolina.
“Taping the dog’s muzzle shut was a terrible decision on Ms. Lemansky’s part, and charging her with animal cruelty under North Carolina law was the right thing to do,” said Cary Police Capt. Randall Rhyne.
And following the backlash Lemansky has reportedly gone into hiding.
"There were people on Facebook making death threats," said South Daytona Police Chief Ron Wright.
But controversially she will be allowed to keep the labrador mix, after an investigation by animal control officers found the dog appeared to be 'well cared for'.
Lemansky faces one count of Class 1 misdemeanour cruelty to animals, a charge which carries a fine and up to 150 days in prison.