The news was initially shocking: a Rottweiler had fiercely attacked his owner in a village near Kalamata, south Peloponnese, injuring the 76-year-old man so severely that he had to be transported and be intubated in a hospital in Athens.

One policeman from a squad that arrived at the scene, shot the dog dead, allegedly urged by the owner to do so.

The victim’s son came out quickly to state to media that they had the dog for over ten years, it was their “beloved pet”, and that the attack was completely unexpected. His father was trying to put some medical drops into the Rottweiler’s ears, when the animal became aggressive and started biting the man’s hand.

It was obviously very easy to put the blame to the dog, a Rottweiler, that is a breed that often is trained to be aggressive, and even if it would still be alive it had no voice to defend itself.

But soon the truth came out: the dog was held in a cage and the victim took him out beating it at the same time with a piece of chain or a belt. that was shown in a video, probably the son had filmed, and broadcast by Mega TV.

Note: Had the dog wanted to kill the man, it would have directly bitten him on the neck not on the hands.

Video

The owner is seen to take the dog out of the cage, spraying blindly the animal’s face and head with a “anti parasite” (?) something, while the animal is getting furious, he then puts him back to the cage and is repeatedly hit it with a chain or a leash. Then he falls on the ground.

The rottweiler is biting him on the hands and elsewhere on the his body, something that as experts point out, is very rare unless there is a history of animal abuse.

“Aggressive” dog dead …all good?

It soon turned out that the owner’s son was an illegal dog breeder and the animal was living in extremely bad conditions.

According to the head of a group against animal abuse, the dog was a “tool animal” and “its purpose was to give birth and sell puppies, not companionship”

Speaking to state broadcaster ERT on Saturday, Martha Poultidou, head of a group against animal abuse, revealed the truth: the dog was a “tool animal” and “its purpose was to give birth and sell puppies, not companionship”.

She revealed further that “a lawsuit for animal abuse has already been filed against the owner, the injured person, the police officer and any other person responsible, where criminal liability may arise.”

She claimed that, according to her team’s investigation, the animal lived “in miserable conditions, which are not at all consistent with the law and welfare standards.”

Referring to the video of the incident, the head of the animal rights group, Ms. Poultidou, noted that “the dog did not attack unprovoked. It attacked because he hit it with the chain too many times.” As she explained, “the animal reacted to pain and fear. It did not want to kill.”

Finally, she raised questions about the circumstances under which the police officer shot the animal: “We do not see in the video the point where the police officer shoots. Was the animal shot at the time of the attack or when it had already left the person? This must be clarified in order to see whether it bears responsibility.”

Some media reported on Sunday, that the dog had stopped attacking the man who then called his wife to seek help from ambulance and the police.

PS I have no idea who shoot the video, but I have the suspicion of a staged crime with intent.

BTW I was best friend with a Rottweiler for two years when I jobbed at a restaurant as a student.