Authorities in Tututepec, Oaxaca, have requested help from the state government after dogs were killed with poison.

As municipal police force search for those responsible, the state Attorney General’s office said there have been at least 27 cases of cruelty against dogs in the year since the crime was catalogued as a serious one in Oaxaca.

Of the 27 investigations, said spokesman Alejandro Alfonso Ramírez, “a settlement was reached between the parties in three cases, six cases were shelved, four were not filed properly, and three went to trial, with penalties of up to six months in jail.” The remaining cases remain open.

In one case a man dragged a puppy behind his taxi in the municipality of San Dionisio Ocotepec. The case went to trial and the driver was ordered to do six months of community service and pay for the dog’s medical treatment.

For the dog, meanwhile, the incident has turned its life around. It was adopted by a family in Switzerland, according to the newspaper report.

Source: Milenio (sp)