Public shaming

Yesterday I witnessed a neighbor reprimand their dog - first with words, then physically. The dog yelped. At that point my knee-jerk impulse was to go confront the guy but the fear of conflict / my safety sent me into rationalization / strategizing / calculating outcomes - with the perceived goal of doing what's best for the dog. I didn't do anything.

Shaming the owner was the first thing that came to mind. I rationalized it away but I wish I didn't. I don't know if it would change anything but I don't think it could've made it worse (other than me being big time triggered and having to regulate later). It's quite possible that the owner would at least mildly second-guess their impulse to hit their dog in front of other people's houses should that happen again.