Dog cruelty: 'Tomorrow he'll tie a woman to the car'
Man remanded after allegedly tying dog to vehicle, dragging it to its death. His lawyer: 'Thought dog was already dead.' Activists clamor for maximum sentence
The Akko Magistrates Court remanded by an additional day the arrest of a resident of Kafr Samia, who allegedly tied a dog to his car and drove away until the animal's death.
The man, 43, is suspected of animal cruelty in accordance with the Animal Protection Act.
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The critically wounded dog was found in a waste disposal site, but despite medical treatment died of its wounds. The man was arrested on Saturday.
The dog (Photo courtesy of Israel Police)
Maalot's police chief said following the arrest: "The suspect said the dog bothered him so he decided to get rid of it. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian in critical condition but died from its wounds."
Activists outside courthouse (Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv)
The suspect's lawyer claimed his client believed the dog was dead and wanted to remove him from his yard.
"He is a normative person, without a criminal background," said the lawyer. "This could have happened to anyone and he had no intention of harming the animal."
Conversely, the police prosecutor claimed photographs of the dog's injuries are self-explanatory.
In response to these claims, the presiding judge ordered a veterinary report into the matter to determine the dog's cause of death.
The case has generated the ire of animal rights activists, 20 of which protested the generally lenient treatment of those convicted of animal cruelty.
"I've yet to see someone who got the maximum prison term for animal cruelty," said Let The Animals Live Chairwoman Eti Altman.
"The courts treat the matter lightly and it's time to change the situation," she added.
Altman drew a parallel between animal cruelty and general violence, saying that "tomorrow he'll tie his wife to the car and drag her. If she's hurt, they'll arrest him. But if he does that to a dog, it's fine."
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