An elderly man in eastern China killed an unleashed dog that chased his granddaughter, sparking intense debate on social media.
According to an online post on September 4, a young woman walking her dog in a Zhejiang residential area failed to leash it, leading the dog to chase a girl playing with other children nearby.
To protect his granddaughter, the unnamed man picked up the dog and slammed it to the ground, resulting in its death.
The viral video showed the dog’s owner crying as she crouched next to her dead dog, saying: “You killed my dog! Come over here.”
Two onlookers retorted: “Your dog was chasing all of these kids, scaring them. The kids were being chased from one side of the neighbourhood to the other. Look how scared they are!”
The viral video captures the dog’s owner in tears, kneeling beside her deceased pet. Photo: Weibo
The owner shot back: “But it didn’t bite her!”
One person who saw the incident told the mainland outlet Dianshi News that, while the dog was certainly chasing the child, the owner thought it was just playing and did not intervene.
“She said the dog would not hurt anyone, and that it was just playing around,” the anonymous onlooker said.
The dog owner later reported the incident to the police.
On September 5, the Xintang Subdistrict Office issued a statement claiming they are taking the matter seriously and coordinating with the police to mediate between the involved parties.
“We will strengthen awareness of responsible dog ownership and improve neighbourhood relations,” the statement further read.
Chinese law mandates that dog owners must use a collar and leash in public, though adherence varies as some owners feel leashes restrict their pets.
Lan Tianbin, a senior partner at Fade Dongheng Law Firm in Jiangsu province in eastern China, told Jiupai News that the grandfather is unlikely to face legal repercussions, as his actions were seen as a “necessary act” to protect the child.
“When a dog bites a person, killing or injuring the dog to save someone is considered a necessary act. In this case, the dog owner didn’t have the dog on a leash, and when the dog chased the child, the grandfather acted to protect the child by killing the dog, which could also be deemed necessary,” Lan said.
Chinese law requires dog owners to use a collar and leash when taking their pets out in public. Photo: Shutterstock
The incident has triggered intense debates on Chinese social media.
Many people criticised the dog owner, with one person saying: “No one else is to blame, only the dog owner. Some people who own dogs are a threat to both the dog and other people.”
Another person echoed this sentiment: “She brought this upon herself. The dog owner had no boundaries. Now, imagine yourself in the child’s position: being chased by a big grizzly bear (which is comparable to a child being chased by a dog). Would you think it was just playing?”
Others felt that the grandfather’s actions were excessive, commenting: “If your children or grandchildren were to chase this girl or scare her, wouldn’t you be concerned that this killer grandfather would react the same way he did with the dog?”
https://www.scmp.com/news/people-cu...-it-ground-after-chasing-scares-granddaughter
