Chasing His Pets, This Cat Owner Even Attacks Dog Owners, In The End A Fine Of IDR 158 Million

Illustration of cat and dog. (Unsplash/Krista Mangulsone)

JAKARTA - This is what the pet owner did. Intent on chasing his beloved cat, he instead attacked the dog owner and was eventually fined by the court.

This incident took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after a Dubai Court ordered an Egyptian man to pay compensation of 40,000 UAE dirhams or around Rp. 158,866,860 for assaulting a man and causing emotional distress to a dog.

The incident came after the 32-year-old assailant attacked the dog owner on the street. At first, the Egyptian man who had just come home from work chased his cat who had fled into the street.

The man next passed the victim, a 19-year-old Jordanian student, who was walking his dog. The perpetrator heard the student say to his dog, the cat is afraid of dogs.

Suddenly, the owner of the cat immediately insulted the victim and attacked him. The wife and brother-in-law ran out of a nearby house and tried to prevent the attack from continuing, but failed. He tore off the student's shirt and jacket, knocking them to the ground.

Unexpectedly, the incident caused the victim's dog to run away from home, only to return the next day in a depressed state.

Court documents said there had been previous disputes between the two neighbours, which had been reconciled at the police station. The Egyptian man was charged with insulting and physically assaulting a dog owner on September 7 last year in the Al Rashidiya area of Dubai.

He admitted to the crime at the Dubai Criminal Court and was fined 5,000 UAE dirhams (Rp 19,858,357) in November. After conviction, the dog owner filed a civil case seeking compensation.

"My client is embarrassed by what happened and emotionally affected, after he was publicly assaulted in front of his residence," said the victim's lawyer Mohammed Najeeb, reported The National News June 9

"The dog was also affected. When the accident happened the dog ran away and disappeared for about 24 hours. Then when found, refused to eat or drink and my client had to take him to the vet clinic," he explained.

The case was referred to the Dubai court reconciliation center, which reached an agreement on April 21 in which the perpetrators were ordered to pay 40,000 UAE dirhams in compensation. The man was also ordered to pay 1,000 UAE dirhams or around IDR 3,971,671 for court fees.