Dog owner sent to jail for three years

A dog owner has been sentenced to three years in prison for beating up his neighbor in Songjiang district following a scuffle between their pets, local prosecutors said Sunday.

The defendant, surnamed Zhou, was charged with intentional assault for attacking his neighbor with a weapon, leaving the other man with a fractured skull and internal injuries, according to a press release from the Songjiang District People's Prosecutor's Office.

The incident began on August 6, when the two dogs got into a fight. Because it appeared his pet was losing, the neighbor, surnamed Zhu, tried to fend off Zhou's dog by hitting it with a rod, prosecutors said.

Zhou's wife took issue with Zhu attacking her pet and began screaming at him. Zhou arrived after hearing the quarrel. He and Zhu shoved each other and argued, but were eventually separated by onlookers, prosecutors said.

After returning home, Zhou's wife showed him red marks on her arm and claimed Zhu tried to hit her with a stool. Zhou rushed over to Zhu's home and beat him severely with a weapon. The prosecutor's office did not disclose what object Zhou used to attack Zhu.

Zhu's wife could not stop Zhou from beating her husband. Zhou did not stop striking Zhu until police arrived.

Zhu's injuries were severe enough to constitute a serious injury.