A COUPLE has appealed to the Shenzhen Intermediate People s Court after they were ordered by a Futian court to compensate a dog owner about 9,000 yuan (US$1,350) for injuries to the owner s dog.
The dog owner, identified as Liu, said a Japanese shiba inu dog owned by the couple, identified as Zeng and Luo, injured her pomeranian dog in a fight Aug. 20 last year and it cost her about 11,000 yuan for medical treatment and 2,250 yuan for nursing. The couple argued that Liu s dog was not licensed and she was responsible for her dog s injuries because she did not restrain the pomeranian.
Liu took her dog for a walk in the garden where she lived in Futian District on Aug. 20 last year. The couple s dog was on a leash when it attacked the pomeranian, causing serious internal injuries.
Liu told the court her dog had been operated on several times at a veterinary hospital, costing more than 11,000 yuan. When it was discharged from the hospital, she was told it might not be able to stand again. She had since spent about 2,250 yuan nursing the dog.
The Futian District People s Court said it was the couple s responsibility to restrain their dog which had caused Liu financial loss. But, Liu was also at fault because she did not have her dog on a leash and was therefore unable to protect it. Whether Liu s dog was licensed was another matter. The court ruled that the couple should bear 80 percent of the responsibility and Liu the remaining 20 percent.
The Futian court ordered the couple to pay Liu 8,800 yuan in compensation.
Liu did not have a license or restrain her dog, so walking the dog outside was illegal. But our dog was licensed and on a leash, so she should bear more responsibility than us, Luo said in court.
The intermediate court is yet to hand down its decision.
(Wang Yuanyuan)
