Court Decides Puppy's Killing Is Gender Violence

In a landmark case, a Spanish court has for the first time applied a gender violence law in a case of animal abuse, convicting a man of killing a puppy to psychologically harm his partner. The court, located on Gran Canaria, determined the 18-year-old man threw the 4-month-old puppy, jointly owned with his partner, off a cliff while threatening suicide. He received a suspended sentence of just over one year in prison and is barred from contacting the woman for two years, per CBS News.

The court's Monday ruling concluded that the act was not an isolated instance of cruelty, but rather meant to inflict psychological harm on the woman, who developed significant psychological distress and required medical attention as a result. "The animal's death was intentionally employed as a means to inflict psychological damage," the judge stated, framing the crime as "vicarious violence"—a concept most typically applied when a parent or partner harms a child to wound the mother.

Spain's legal watchdog, the CGPJ, called the decision "groundbreaking," noting it's the first time Spanish courts have classified the killing of an animal as vicarious violence under gender violence statutes. Spain has been recognized as a leader in combating gender-based violence, with specialized courts and a legal framework established in 2005 to support victims. The government also systematically tracks vicarious violence, reporting that over 60 children have been killed by a mother's current or former partner since 2013.