A French judge has ruled that a dog from the Netherlands must be put down. The animal bitten a Frenchwoman who was six months pregnant to death in 2019. The woman had been horribly beaten. She had 56 bite wounds spread across her body.
That is why the animal is now receiving an injection, the French judge said. The Dutch animal – a pit bull named Curtis – would exhibit ‘uncontrollable behavior’ and could strike again, the verdict states. “We know what he is capable of, so leaving him alive and locked up is not an option.”
During the courtroom there was a remarkable amount of attention for the dog, despite the gruesome fate of the Frenchwoman whom it bit to death. Animal organizations had offered to take in Curtis. Dozens of animal activists and people who wanted to show their support for the dog were present in the courtroom. Some carried photos of Curtis.
Owner does not have to enter cell
“Why is he being punished now when his owner raised him poorly?” one of the visitors wondered. The dog’s owner was given a four-year conditional sentence – so he no longer has to go to jail. He does have to pay for the euthanasia of his dog.
The Frenchwoman, Elisa Pilarski (29), took a walk in the woods in Northern France in 2019 with Curtis, her partner’s dog. During that walk, she panicked and called her partner to say she was injured. She was bitten by the dog. The man found her in the woods but was unable to save her. She died a short time later.
Her partner has maintained for years that it was not Curtis who killed Pilarski, but hunters’ dogs in the woods where she was walking. Only during the substantive hearing of the case, in March, did he admit it. The judge then showed him that DNA traces of Curtis had been found on Pilarski’s body and that the bite marks on her body exactly matched the size of Curtis’ teeth.
Dutch breeder and forged passport
The pit bull was purchased from a Dutch dog breeder in Stavenisse, Zeeland. The dog’s passport, issued by a Dutch veterinarian, had been tampered with. It said Curtis was a cross between a Patterdale terrier and a whippet. But it turned out to be a pit bull. These are banned in France.
Pilarski’s partner trained the dog to sink its teeth into something and not let go. Experts consulted during the trial said the animal ignored all commands to stop biting. Only complete exhaustion would calm him down.
Rescue is still possible
Not all hope is lost for the aggressive Curtis. The dog itself cannot appeal against its conviction, but if its owner does so, it will be spared the lethal injection (for the time being). Curtis will then remain alive until the appeal is heard and the appeal judge rules on his survival.
It is still unknown whether his owner will appeal. “He is happy and relieved that he will not have to go to jail,” his lawyer said. “But what hurts him is that people think he knowingly endangered the woman he was madly in love with and who was carrying his child.”
LISTEN ALSO to our daily news podcast Join the conversation with AD
WATCH ALSO to these news videos: