A Taichung man adopted a puppy and beat it to death with his bare hands and hit him with a helmet just for barking. Prosecutors prosecuted according to the Animal Protection Law

A man surnamed Yu from Dali District, Taichung City, adopted a Mix puppy in February this year. Within a month, he beat the puppy with his bare hands because he was dissatisfied with the puppy's barking. He also hit the puppy on the head with a safety helmet. The puppy eventually died of cardiopulmonary failure due to the injuries. Afterwards, Yu abandoned the body arbitrarily and let the cleaning team take over. The Taichung District Prosecutor's Office recently prosecuted him in accordance with the Animal Protection Law and recommended that the court impose an appropriate punishment.

After investigation, Yu Nan adopted this female mixed-breed puppy on February 19 this year. On March 14, Yu Nan beat the puppy with rough hands and hit it on the head with a safety helmet just because it barked at the residence. After the heavy blow, the puppy's injuries continued to worsen, causing chronic bleeding, anemia and circulatory disorders, and finally died of cardiopulmonary failure.

After the case was exposed, officers from the Taichung City Animal Protection Office went to investigate. When questioned, Yu Nan shied away and defended the cause of the puppy's death. During the prosecutor's investigation, Yu Nan confessed to the crime, which was supported by evidence such as the testimony of the Animal Protection Office personnel, the deadline improvement notice, the public's petition materials, and the animal forensic autopsy report issued by the Institute of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology of the College of Veterinary Medicine at National Taiwan University.

The prosecutor found that in accordance with the Animal Protection Law, he was charged with intentionally injuring an animal, causing the animal to lose the function of its vital organs. Although the other man went to the police station to surrender on March 18, he still shied away from the cause of the puppy's death when the Animal Welfare Department was involved in the investigation. Therefore, considering the discovery process of the case, it was recommended that the court should not surrender and grant him a reduced sentence.

The prosecutor also criticized that Yu Nan, as the owner, should have fulfilled his responsibility to take care of the puppies, but because of his dissatisfaction with the barking, he attacked the head of the young and weak dog with his bare hands and a safety helmet, which eventually led to death. He did not properly dispose of the body himself, but abandoned it arbitrarily, leaving the cleaning team and the Animal Protection Office to take over the aftermath, which was a waste of national and social resources. The crime was hardly minor, and it was recommended that the court impose an appropriate sentence in accordance with the law.