Man, family receive death threats after he killed teddy bear dog that bit toddler

Tong Wei never thought that killing the dog that bit his son would result in his wife attempting suicide and all his family members being threatened with death.

His cell phone has being flooded with death threats — text messages and calls — for days. Even as he drove his suicidal wife to the hospital for treatment, he received another threatening call from a stranger.

“He said he wishes all my family members would die immediately,” Tong said. “I cried on hearing that and asked him to kill me instead of hurting my family.”

On June 18, Tong and his family were celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival at their restaurant in Nanjing’s Jiangning district. But their 2-year old son was bitten by a new breed of miniature dog — a teddy bear dog, also known as the zuchon or shichon — when his aunt took him for a walk across the street.

After negotiating in vain with the dog’s owner, Tong grabbed the dog and threw it onto the floor, killing it.

“I had alcohol to celebrate the festival and got angry when I saw my son’s bloody hand,” said Tong. “I really regret what I did to the dog.”

He and the dog’s owner reached an agreement after the police showed up: The father would not ask for payment of his son’s medical bill and the dog’s owner would not ask for compensation for the dog’s death.

They thought the incident was settled, until some witnesses uploaded videos taken at the scene. Tong’s cellphone numbers were made public after some netizens managed to get them through lists of takeout food restaurants.

Death threats from across the country overwhelmed the family. Tong volunteered to appear on a popular local news channel and apologized to the public on Thursday.

“The night the news was aired we started to receive death threats toward our elder son,” Tong said. “They knew detailed information about our 15-year-old son. That was when my wife had a breakdown.”

The next morning, Tong found his wife, Wang Yanyan, lying in bed with her left wrist cut by a fruit knife.

Wang cried when she regained consciousness at the hospital. During an interview with a local television, she said that some dog lovers had said the family’s lives were not as precious as those of the dogs.

“I told them I would die to compensate for the teddy bear dog. Please stop threatening my boy,” Wang said in the interview.

Tong reported the curses and death threats to the police, and the case was investigated. Doctors suggested that Wang should consult a psychologist as soon as possible.

The family has decided to sell the restaurant in Jiangning district, but some netizens who called said they will destroy another restaurant owned by the family.

“We don’t know how to support our family,” Tong said. “We are in debt from running the two restaurants. We have no house, but we have sons and parents to take care of. Please don’t hurt us anymore.”

Bao Yajie, a partner at Jiangsu Leadall Lawyers Firm, said the netizens bear civil responsibility and should cease hounding the family. Also, they should compensate the family for any losses, Bao said.

“The public security department can give warnings, fines or detentions to those who seriously affect other people’s lives,” she said. “If the man sues them, the netizens may also be charged with the crime of insult or defamation if those things are involved in their behavior.”

I would die to compensate for the teddy bear dog. Please stop threatening my boy.”

Wang Yanyan, mother of a 2-year-old boy who got bit by a dog, then attempted suicide after receiving threats because the dog was killed by her husband