A couple faces prison because of their biting Rottweiler

October 2019. A 35-year-old woman today walked her dog on a leash, but without a muzzle, in Horgen (ZH). At one point, the Rottweiler attacked a pensioner from behind, bit her in the face, shoulders and arms. The owner of the mastiff then fled, without helping the victim, who was seriously injured.

During the trial which opened on Tuesday at the District Court of Horgen, the defendant said that she could not explain why her dog attacked the victim. “There were no warning signs,” she said. Since this tragedy, she still feels bad psychologically. “I feel guilty,” she confessed.

The dog had already attacked several people in the past, including the couple of owners. “We consulted canine psychologists,” she says. But the couple would have abandoned the sessions when the canine educators pushed them to euthanize their animal. “Euthanizing a physically healthy dog ​​was not an option for us,” said the defendant.

The victim also spoke on the stand. “When I met the woman and the dog, everything happened normally,” she said. Then she found herself on the ground. There was blood everywhere and his clothes were torn. “Today I am afraid of all dogs and I am in very bad psychological condition,” she told the court. His lawyer spoke of a “time bomb” by qualifying the dog and asked for compensation of 25,000 francs for the retiree.

The prosecutor requested suspended prison sentences of 24 months for the wife and 18 months for her husband for grievous bodily harm. “They were aware of the dangerousness of their dog,” he summed up. For his part, the couple’s lawyer asked for a conviction for simple bodily harm by negligence. “This is a tragic accident and there is no premeditation,” said one of the lawyers.

Judgment will be rendered on September 13.