China couple split over dead dog

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3693517.stm

 

A Chinese woman who hired

four hit men to kill her

husband's beloved pet

wolfhound now faces divorce.

 

The woman, Xiao Fang, told the

official Xinhua news agency she

did not want the dog to mess up

their new apartment in the

eastern city of Nanjing.

 

She tried to throw the dog out

but it always came back, so she

hired four men to kill it while her

husband was away on business.

 

When her husband Mr Xu found

out what had happened, he was

so livid he moved out of the

apartment and started divorce

proceedings, Xinhua said.

 

Her husband said the wolfhound, called Heihu or " Black

Tiger " ,

was " like a member of our family to me " .

 

" How could she be so cruel? " he asked.

 

Mrs Xiao seemed equally shocked by her husband's

reaction.

 

" Who's more important to him after all - his wife or a

dog? " she

reportedly asked.

 

Xinhua reported the incident as part of a feature on

pets, and

said it took place earlier this year.

 

The news agency went on to explore the relative

benefits and

disadvantages of pet ownership.

 

Last year, the number of rabies cases in China rose

sharply - with

nearly 1,300 people dying from the disease in the first

nine

months of the year.

 

But Xinhua went on to point out that a recent study by

Beijing

Normal University found that pet owners were healthier

and

happier than the rest of the population.

 

--

Dave Neale

UK Director

Animals Asia Foundation

 

Find out more about our historic China Bear Rescue and Friends or Food?

projects

by visiting the Animals Asia Foundation website at

http://www.animalsasia.org