Man who kicked chihuahua to death given a six-month suspended sentence

Mainichi reports that a man who kicked a chihuahua to death has been given a “slap on the wrist” in the form of a suspended sentence:

Defendant Yoshiyuki Tanaka, 44, was walking past the dog and its owner on a street in Nagoya’s Chikusa-ku on July 13 when — stressed over a dressing down from his boss, and annoyance at a local dog’s barking — he turned and silently booted the 310,000 yen chihuahua in the abdomen, rupturing at least one internal organ.

Tanaka was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for property damage and violating the Animal Welfare Law.

In his ruling, Judge Takushi Noguchi said: “The dog was killed almost instantly. The incident is severe, but the accused has reflected on his crime, and a 1 million yen damages settlement has been reached.”

You might have expected the owner of the dog to be unsatisfied with the suspended sentence, but according to the article, the owner believes the punishment is “a good warning for dog haters everywhere.”

Side note: Is it possible that the man mistook the chihuahua for a yakuza attack dog?