Thai man claims no intent after his dog dies hanging from truck
Netizens challenge driver’s account over poor eyesight and hearing
A Thai man claimed he did not intend to abuse his pet dog after a viral video showed the animal hanging from his pickup truck while travelling on a road in Udon Thani province.
A motorist told the Hone Krasae news programme that he spotted a brown dog hanging from the right side of a pickup truck at around 7pm on August 24, while driving along Sumsao-Samphrao Road in the Mueang district. The dog was suspended by its collar, which was tied to the back of the truck.
The motorist said he honked his horn and flashed his headlights to signal the driver to stop and check on the dog, but the man ignored him.
Unable to get the driver’s attention, the motorist recorded a video of the incident. He later noticed in his rear-view mirror that the driver eventually pulled over to check on the animal.
The motorist believed the dog had already died, as it did not move. Unsure whether the driver had deliberately abused the animal, he posted the video on Facebook in an attempt to identify him. The footage was later reshared by the Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT).
The foundation worked with Mueang Udon Thani Police to track down the driver. The man claimed he attempted to take his sick pet dog to a hospital that night, as it had refused to eat.
He admitted he had carelessly tied the dog to the back of his truck, but said it had jumped from the vehicle and ended up hanging by its collar. He insisted he had not intended to kill or torture the animal and added that he had failed to notice the motorist’s warning signals because of poor eyesight and hearing.
Despite his explanation, police ruled his actions violated Section 24 of the Prevention of Cruelty and Animal Welfare Act, which requires proper animal welfare during transportation. He was fined 40,000 baht.
Many netizens expressed scepticism over his account, arguing it was implausible that a driver could fail to notice both the honking and light signals from other vehicles.
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