Beijing Court Upholds Compensation in City's First Pet‑Poisoning Case

A Beijing court has upheld the original civil ruling in the city's first criminal prosecution over pet poisoning, maintaining an 8,000-yuan (US$1,173) compensation award for affected dog owners.

The appeal verdict was delivered today by the Beijing No.3 Intermediate People's Court.

The case stems from an incident in September 2022 in a residential community in Chaoyang District, where a 13-year-old West Highland White Terrier named Papi was among 11 pet dogs poisoned. Nine of the animals died after ingesting bait laced with sodium fluoroacetate, a highly toxic substance banned in China.

The suspect, a local resident surnamed Zhang, was later arrested and charged with intentionally dispensing dangerous substances. He was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2025.

Pet owners filed civil claims totaling 250,000 yuan, including 20,000 yuan for the dog's market value and additional compensation for emotional distress. In the first-instance ruling, the court awarded 8,000 yuan in damages and did not support claims for emotional harm.

During the appeal proceedings, Papi's owner submitted medical records to demonstrate psychological trauma following the dog's death. The court, however, found the materials not directly relevant to the civil issues under review and declined to admit them as evidence.

The court said the facts established in the second-instance trial were consistent with those of the original judgment and ruled to uphold the previous decision.