A Vitebsk resident who killed his daughter's puppy was arrested for five days

An unusual trial concluded in the Pervomaisky Court of Vitebsk on March 20. A 25-year-old city resident who killed his daughter's puppy was arrested for five days. Judge Andrei Andrushenko is confident that if it weren't for the widely discussed toughening of the law on animal welfare, this administrative case would hardly have reached the court.

Little Lucy joined the K. family about three months ago. The head of the family took the cute puppy from a shelter for homeless animals as a surprise for his wife and two-year-old daughter. The beautiful chocolate-colored dog with a white chest and "socks" on its paws was adored by both the neighborhood children and the family. The shelter was also happy that they had found a home for the little one. The new owner seemed quite caring to the staff: he strictly followed instructions and brought the pet for vaccinations and other procedures.

The first suspicions of trouble arose when Lucy's surgical wound became neglected after sterilization. This was despite the fact that the shelter had provided a special recovery suit and ointment for free. In addition, a large hematoma was found on the puppy's back, which had to be opened. Explaining the reasons for the severe bruising, the owner claimed that Lucy was too spoiled and had injured herself somewhere.

The dog spent a week under veterinary observation. She recovered.

In court, representatives of the shelter cried – the puppy had seemed hungry and frightened to them even before hospitalization, and after treatment, it clearly did not want to go to its owner.

But no one could have imagined that things were so serious. The tragedy occurred shortly before New Year's. There was a quarrel in the family in the evening. And at night, the young father, while his wife and child were in the next room, took it upon himself to "discipline" the puppy.

Blood on the floor, refrigerator, gas stove, wallpaper, and the animal's corpse wrapped in a rag – this is the scene the owner saw in the morning. And at night, she claims, she was simply afraid to go into the kitchen – it is dangerous to deal with her husband when he is intoxicated.

Neighbors, testifying in court as witnesses, also spoke about how the owner often beat the puppy, and that on that night, it yelped and whimpered in pain for about an hour.

The accused himself considers the incident an accident. He claims that he was simply chasing Lucy around the kitchen, and then the dog got stuck behind the radiator. Trying to save her, he pulled her by the legs. That's how she died. He doesn't remember the details because he was "tipsy".

Five days of arrest - this is the decision made by the judge. The accused was lucky: the terrible incident happened last year. Under the new legislation, this term could have been six times longer.

Elena Begunova, SB Belarus Today