Sarah Palin has found herself in yet another controversy after she posted a New Year's Day photo on Facebook showing her six-year-old son Trig standing on the family's dog.
Trig, who has Down syndrome, wanted to help wash the dishes but the dog was in front of the sink, so he used it as a stepping stool. Palin saw the act as a symbol of perseverance and uploaded three images of her son standing on the family's black Labrador on Facebook.
"May 2015 see every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward. Trig just reminded me," the former Republican vice presidential candidate captioned the photos. "He, determined to help wash dishes with an oblivious mama not acknowledging his signs for 'up!' found me and a lazy dog blocking his way. He made his stepping stone."
Although Palin wanted to project his son's inventive way of reaching the kitchen counter as an inspiration for the new year, many saw the act as a form of animal cruelty that Palin appeared to have promoted by allowing, if not encouraging, her son to step on their dog.
It was not only the politician's detractors that took notice of this. Her supporters also expressed their disappointment and reminded her that there are many dog lovers out there.
The post has so far gained over 23,000 comments and has been shared more than 11,000 times. Some of those who left a comment on the post pointed out that dogs are not stepping stools and that Palin was not properly teaching her son about dealing with the family's own pet.
"At least the person who had taken the photo could have told the kid this is not a right thing to do," a Facebook user named Arjun Shaji commented. "To be frank if u can't take care of your dog u can't take care of the country and the people."
Some, however, defended Palin saying that she may have told her son not to stand on the dog, but the child has special needs and may have forgotten. There were also those that pointed out the dog appeared to have not been hurt.
"The dog would get up if it was getting hurt," said another commenter. "Really it's a kid wanting to help his mom and you guys need to stop the negative comments about it."
