Beijing's first criminal public prosecution case involving pet dog poisoning was handed down on Thursday in a first-instance judgment by the People's Court of Wenyuhe in Chaoyang district, the report said.
 
The poisoning incident occurred on September 13, 2022. Zhang, a resident of a compound in Chaoyang district, scattered toxic substances in the area, resulting in the deaths of nine pet dogs and two stray cats kept by residents, Beijing News reported.
 
Several days after the incident, Zhang was taken away by police as a suspect, the report said.
 
He was then prosecuted on suspicion of the crime of spreading dangerous substances, and the case was heard at the Chaoyang District People's Court in October last year. 
 
Multiple affected dog owners who attended the trial said Zhang admitted in court to the poisoning the animals but argued that there was no causal link between the dogs' deaths and his actions, Beijing News reported.
 
Zhang claimed that he poisoned the pets because dogs in the compound were noisy, had urinated on his tricycle, and because his granddaughter disliked dogs, the report said.
 
In court, the judge announced the verdict would be delivered later, and Zhang remained under detention, according to the report.
 
Thursday's first-instance verdict sentenced Zhang to four years in prison for spreading dangerous substances, he filed an immediate appeal, CCTV News reported.
 
A dog owner surnamed Li said the case goes beyond the loss of individual puppies, it also concerns the safety of countless beloved pets, the welfare of companion animals, the interests of millions of pet owners, and the public safety of thousands of households, Jimu News reported on Thursday.
 
Following the verdict, Li also plans to sue the property management of the compound to further pursue civil liability, the report said.
 
Wang Weiwei, a civil litigation lawyer, said that the criteria for determining the value of pets need to be established as soon as possible, CCTV News reported.
 
The report also cited a licensed Beijing attorney as saying that efforts should be made to move toward establishing forensic evaluation standards for pets. 
 
Setting up specialized evaluation institutions, cultivating professional appraisal experts, and developing standardized evaluation systems are among the recommended steps, the report said.
 
 
Global Times