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Panevėžys Regional Court has examined a criminal case on appeal and upheld the judgment of the court of first instance, which found the dog owner guilty of negligent cause of minor bodily harm. The convicted person's appeal was dismissed, and the lower court's decision was recognized as lawful and substantiated.

According to the case files, the incident occurred on the morning of October 23, 2024, in a village located in Kupiškis district. Two Jagdterrier dogs ran out onto the road from an unfenced residential property and attacked a female neighbor who was walking past.

The aggressive pets attacked the woman, knocked her to the ground, and bit her in various parts of her body. The victim suffered multiple bite and laceration wounds to her left ear, upper arms, forearms, and buttocks, as well as damaged hand tendons.

For this offense, the dog owner was sentenced to a one year penal servitude (restriction of liberty), with obligations to participate in a behavior modification program within six months and to pay a contribution of EUR 1,000 to the Fund for Victims of Crime.

Furthermore, the convicted individual was ordered to pay the victim EUR 300 in pecuniary damages and EUR 5,000 in non – pecuniary damages, as well as EUR 1,659.90 to the State Patients' Fund to cover medical expenses.

Disagreeing with the verdict, the convicted man requested an acquittal in his appeal. The man denied his guilt, claiming that his pets were locked in an enclosure at the time of the incident and that there were no direct eyewitnesses to the event.

The convicted individual explained that he simply saw the injured neighbor on the road and drove her to the hospital himself, later facing unfounded accusations and a biased investigation.

Panevėžys Regional Court rejected these arguments in the appeal as unsubstantiated. The judicial panel noted that although there were no direct eyewitnesses to the event, guilt was unequivocally confirmed by a consistent body of circumstantial evidence: the victim's own testimony, medical expert findings, and witness statements.

Witnesses confirmed that immediately after the event, the convicted man himself mentioned the damage caused by the dogs, saying that he had "messed up," and as early as the next day, he urgently applied for the official registration of the pets.

In addition, the victim accurately described the number and characteristics of the dogs, matching those kept by the convicted person.

Assessing the pet owner's responsibility, the Regional Court emphasized: "The court of first instance reasonably recognized that although the defendant did not foresee that such consequences could arise from his inaction, he could and should have foreseen them both according to the circumstances of the act and his personal traits; therefore, he acted with criminal carelessness."

The court noted that every dog owner must ensure that their pet does not run outside the boundaries of the land plot and does not pose a danger to human health or life.

In this case, the convicted person failed to ensure proper care of the pets, and therefore bears legal and financial responsibility.

This ruling of Panevėžys Regional Court has entered into force.

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