Freestyle Motocross rider catches air with dog

No dogs were harmed in the making of this video

There's a viral video circulating now featuring a freestyle motocorss (FMX) rider catching serious air with his dog onboard. I'm pretty sure that our animal lover friends from PETA and the PAWS will be furious when they see this video. It was posted by Jarryd Mcneil. Mcneil, known for his crazy videos of FMX antics, upped the ante by giving his dog, Rooga, a ride.

Rooga is a pitbull terrier who loves to watch him do his tricks. In the video, Mcneil and Rooga were seen flying a few hundred feet in the air with death-defying stunts that would make the average Joe pee his pants.

For the dog lovers though, it was a red flag, with some readying their torches, pitchforks and spears, eager to hang Mcneil at the plaza, calling him an animal abuser.

Before any of you decide to do the same, hold your horses! Mcneil's dog Rooga, who appears to be quite calm while in air, was, in fact, a stunt double from Cuddle Clones. For those of you who are not familiar, Cuddle Clones is a company that specializes in making real-life stuffed clones of your beloved pets.

Yes! That's right. Through careful video editing, it was made to appear that Rooga was actually riding the bike with Mcneil. Rooga had only boarded the motorcycle for a quick ride. He was then switched out for a stuffed toy look-alike in shots with McNeil catching air.

“I would never do that or put myself or Rooga in unnecessary danger,” said Mcneil, after his video drew flak from animal lovers. In fact, McNeil explained quite clearly in the caption of the video that it was a stunt double.

Those familiar with the physics of off-road riding know this actually makes sense. Rooga is almost 40-kilograms. Putting that weight in front of the motorcycle would make any stunt attempt close to impossible.

In a video posted on his Facebook page after the first one drew flak, he also added that “Rooga 2.0” was the one who did the jumping and the original Rooga was safely on the ground. He also reminded people that his stunts are done in a controlled environment and not to “try this at home.”

So please internet warriors, loosen up a bit, will 'ya?