The video of a dog being dragged along the road by a car has caused uproar in Oupeye, Wallonia, leading to the owner's house being set on fire. The local mayor has warned citizens not to take justice into their own hands.
The video was posted on Facebook and has since been removed. The footage dates from around 22:00 on Friday evening and shows a German Shepherd being dragged along the road between Dalhem and Visé in Liège, its leash caught in the car door of a jeep. The dog did not survive.
The woman who posted the video blurred the numberplate but viewers quickly identified the driver and inundated him with death threats.
The man reported to police on Saturday morning, stating that it was an accident and that he had not seen his dog jump out of the car window.
"He said he left his dog in his vehicle, more specifically, in the trunk, attached by its leash," according to the Liège Public Prosecutor. "He explained that he returned to his vehicle around 10:00 p.m. and did not notice his dog, thinking it was sleeping in the trunk. He said he was alerted to the situation by a female driver. It was at that moment that he realised his dog was hanging outside the right rear window of his vehicle."
He risks between eight days and three years in prison and/or a fine of between €800 and €8 million, as well as the withdrawal of his pet license.
'Cannot tolerate a manhunt'
An online petition calling for "justice" for the dog has garnered over 36,000 signatures.
"We demand that the perpetrator of this act be identified, prosecuted and convicted, and that no mitigating circumstances be accepted," the petition states.
On Sunday night, the man's house was set on fire. He escaped the premises unharmed.
The residence was also spraypainted with the words 'Dog killer'.
Mayor of Oupeye Serge Fillot (PS) says "the case is taking on a whole new dimension".
"The death of a dog turns into a manhunt and attempted murder," he said, stating that "Setting a house on fire at night, knowing that someone lives there, is what we call attempted murder."
He said that action against the man was "unacceptable" even if the dog's death was "cruel" and "tragic".
"We cannot tolerate a manhunt. It is up to the courts to solve this case, not to vengeful citizens who do not know the facts."
The Public Prosecutor has opened a separate investigation into the arson attack.
"An expert has been requested to determine the cause of the fire," it stated. "The initial investigation suggests that it was arson committed at night while people were present in the home."
The perpetrator of the arson faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Both investigations are continuing, both into the animal abuse and the arson charges.
