Sarah Palin criticised for 'animal abuse' photo

Former US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been attacked on social media after she posted a photo of her son standing on the family dog.

Palin, uploaded an image of her six-year-old son, Trig, who has Down Syndrome, using their black labrador as a "stepping stone" so he could reach the kitchen bench.

The former Alaska governor said Trig wanted to help her wash the dishes.

"May 2015 sees every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward,” Palin wrote in a New Year's message on Facebook yesterday.

"Trig just reminded me. 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."

While it appears Palin wanted to make a point about the resourcefulness of her son many of the comments online focussed on the dog being used as a "stepping stone".

"Poor dog. And how exactly is the dog supposed to get up, with a seventy or more pound kid on his spine?" one user wrote.

More than 12,000 Facebook users weighed in on the photo, many labelling it "awful" and "disgusting".