Outcry over death of elderly woman

Incident sparked debate over who should be responsible after a pet dog’s leash pulled her down.

THE tragic death of an elderly woman caused by a dog running loose sparked heated debate on China’s social media platforms for several days last week.

Netizens argued whether it was a case of an unfortunate accident or the lack of personal responsibility of those involved.

A street surveillance camera captured the incident where two dogs ran past an elderly woman standing by the roadside in Foshan city, southern Guangdong province, last Monday.

The bigger canine was running with its over one-metre-long leash dragging on the road.

The leash wrapped around the woman’s foot, pulling at her, and the force caused her to fall face down onto the ground.

In the video, a young girl turned up soon after, searching for the dog.

When she saw the elderly woman lying motionless on the road, she ran away with the dog, which was still running loose and following behind her.

Police announced the next day that the 88-year-old woman, surnamed Mai, had succumbed to her injuries.

Apparently, the 12-year-old girl, surnamed Luo, had untied the dog at a village home and took it out for a walk.

The 40kg canine broke loose and started chasing after a smaller dog, which then led to the unfortunate incident.

Investigators concluded that the case was an “accident” but some netizens had different views, triggering discussions on who should be held responsible for the tragedy.

Some said Luo was underage and could be exempted from criminal liability but her parents should be made responsible.

Others pointed fingers at the dog’s owner.

“The pet owner should also bear some responsibility if she gave her consent for the girl to walk the dog,” wrote a netizen.

Foshan’s dog-keeping regulations, released earlier this year, stated that only those with full capacity for civil conduct could handle canines.

Investigators said the dog was taken away without its owner’s consent

The pet owner should also bear some responsibility if she gave her consent for the girl to walk the dog.

Netizen

but Luo denied it, saying she did inform the owner.

Local media went to great length probing the girl’s background, reporting that her parents divorced in 2013 and she is living with her father and a brother.

Her father, a self-confessed alcoholic, helped out at a seafood stall.

He admitted that he had no time to care for his children as he left for work at 3am and ended his shift around 8pm daily.

He told local media that he was an ex-prisoner and his daughter was caught for stealing before.

The local government has arranged for social workers to follow up on the family’s situation, including monitoring the siblings’ education progress and sending the girl for counselling sessions.

Luo has been accused by netizens for being irresponsible as she ran away from the scene.

She explained that she was scared and had only one thing in mind then – to return the pet to its owner.

The victim’s family said they would not take action against the girl for the time being.

Even so, some netizens insisted that a kind of compensation should be given to warn dog owners and remind people to be mindful of others’ safety.

The Chinese government has imposed strict laws on pet management, including making it mandatory for owners to leash their dogs in public places.

In Beijing, all dogs must also be licensed.

Apart from this, owners are banned from keeping big and aggressive dogs and they are also restricted from walking their pets at major roads.

Last week, a court in the Chinese capital heard a civil suit filed by the family of a 67-year-old woman surnamed Wang.

The family has demanded a compensation of over 620,000 yuan (RM377,000) from a 63-year-old woman, surnamed Liu, for causing the death of Wang at the Beijing West railway station.

In the March 8 incident last year, Wang fell to the ground after she stumbled over Liu’s luggage at 12.30pm.

She then got up and boarded the train as scheduled.

During the train ride, Wang started having a severe headache and felt dizzy.

She was put in a wheelchair as the train arrived at her destination about four hours later.

She was then rushed to the hospital where doctors found bleeding in her brain.

Wang died 15 days later.

Her family has held Liu responsible for causing her death.

The case is ongoing.