Neighbor who injured dog acquitted; rare case of 'dog in question' appearing in Yunlin court

Central News Agency reporter Jiang Yijing, Yunlin County, May 13th) A man surnamed Wang in Yunlin County, dissatisfied with his neighbor's dog barking, attacked the dog with a knife last year, causing injury. The owner filed a lawsuit, and prosecutors indicted Wang for property damage. The Yunlin District Court unusually requested the dog to appear in court for inspection, and through interaction, confirmed that the dog's interaction with humans was not affected, thus acquitting Wang.

Wang, due to a strained relationship with his neighbor and dissatisfaction with his dog 'Douzi' constantly barking at him, attacked 'Douzi' with a fruit knife on January 7th last year, causing a nearly 10-centimeter knife wound on its right waist. After medical treatment, it has recovered. The owner filed a complaint regarding Wang's knife attack, and prosecutors indicted him for property damage.

The prosecution argued that 'Douzi' suffered profound human-inflicted trauma, which would inevitably increase its wariness of its surroundings and affect its future interactions with humans, making it difficult to recover even with treatment. They also argued that the pet lost its important function of interacting with and accompanying humans.

Wang Zirong, the administrative chief judge and presiding judge of the Yunlin District Court, in order to confirm whether 'Douzi' had become distant from humans and lost its important companionship function after being attacked and traumatized, asked the owner to bring 'Douzi' to court. He personally interacted with 'Douzi' for inspection.

Wang Zirong mentioned that touching 'Douzi' indeed revealed obvious hypertrophic tissue, indicating the severity of the injury at the time. 'Douzi' was very nervous when it first arrived at court, constantly looking at its owner, but gradually relaxed over time.

Wang Zirong interacted with 'Douzi' for 20 minutes. 'Douzi' leaned in and interacted with him, also making eye contact, showing no significant resistance. Wang Zirong then reached out to stroke 'Douzi's head and neck, receiving a friendly response.

Wang Zirong stated that 'Douzi's injuries had recovered, and its interaction with people, even with the judge being a complete stranger, showed that a certain relationship could be established with a little interaction, and it was willing to be approached. Therefore, it was difficult to conclude that the pet had lost its important functions as alleged by the prosecutor. He believed that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to prove that Wang was guilty of property damage, and thus acquitted him. The owner has appealed.

Wang Zirong pointed out that in the legal system and terminology, pets are merely 'objects,' positioned solely as property. However, in the lives of their owners, furry children are the softest part of their hearts. He hoped that Wang's actions would be severely condemned and that he should not mistakenly believe that the first-instance judgment meant his actions were not reprehensible, but rather that under the current legal limitations, corresponding criminal responsibility could not be imposed. (Edited by Chang Ya-ching) 1150513

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