Kochi man posts moving Facebook tribute after neighbour bludgeons pup with stone

In yet another case of animal cruelty, a man in Kochi allegedly murdered his neighbour’s dog as he was upset with the pup constantly attacking his hens. 

Bob, the one-and-a-half-year-old Boxer, bled to death last week. Jithendra, the owner of the dog, took to Facebook to remember his beloved pup. The moving tribute is being widely shared on the site, the Time of India report said on Monday. As of now, more than 18,000 people have ‘liked’ the post and it has been shared nearly 10,000 times, the Times of India reported. 

Jithendra was angry with the authorities for not doing enough for the pup. In fact, intitally, the police refused to file the case saying that dogs die every day. It was after much persistence that the police lodged the case against Sunil George, the accused. However, Goerge was let off after brief arrest. 

‘Bob was friendly even with strangers but couldn't stand hens or cats getting into our compound. He may have attacked my neighbour's hens but that doesn't justify what he did to Bob. I have heard that George had tortured and killed animals before as well,’ Jithendra wrote on Facebook.

However, local animal right activists have come to Jithendra’s rescue. Daya, an activist with the Animal Welfare Board, has filed a complaint seeking to implead in the case.  Another activist talked about need of stringent laws in India. According to Ambili Purackal, though such an offence can attract maximum punishment of 5 years in jail, yet the police often shows leniency towards the accused and discourage the pet owners in filing the case.