Saitama Man Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 3 Small Breeding Dogs

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:53 JST, June 27, 2024

Saitama Prefectural Police on Thursday arrested an 81-year-old former animal salesman in Moroyama, Saitama Prefecture, on suspicion of violating the Law on Welfare and Management of Animals for killing dogs he was raising for breeding purposes.

According to police, the man is suspected of killing three small dogs by suffocating them in sealed small animal bags at a dog breeding facility in Moroyama between around May 6 and May 12.

According to investigators, the man said, “It costs money to keep dogs alive that can no longer be used for breeding.” He said he wanted to take responsibility for the dogs that had nowhere else to go. He also said, “I killed one dog, but two dogs were already dead,” and partially denied the charges.

The prefectural police received a tip in August last year and began investigation. In May this year, investigators searched the breeding facility with prefectural officials and others and confirmed that 179 dogs were being kept there. Several dogs, believed to be Pomeranians and toy poodles, were found dead in cages wrapped in bags on the premises. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was suffocation.