A man was fined for animal cruelty in the city of General Roca, in Argentina's Río Negro province, where he was walking with a small black dog. He had tied the animal's muzzle with a tight rope and placed a chain around its neck. According to Noticias Argentina agency and as indicated by the judicial communication of Río Negro, the incident occurred in the Villa Regina neighborhood, where neighbors not only filmed the deplorable event but also intervened: a woman demanded that he release the animal, but the man refused and stated that the dog was a gift from a nephew. Finally, those present snatched the sentient being from the man's arms, and the Villa Regina Peace Judge convicted the accused as responsible for a contravention code violation for mistreatment. The sentence included a fine, the money from which will be destined to an entity dedicated to the protection and care of animals in the city. However, the ruling indicated that, although it does not reach the severity of a crime, it implies an ethical reproach for disregarding the condition of a 'sentient being'. The man did not present evidence in his defense, and the decision was based on a photograph where the animal can be seen with its face tied up, and on the testimony of the people present at the scene.
