A man who was found guilty of dragging his four-month-old pet pooch from his motorcycle in a vengeful act against his boyfriend has been fined 10,000 baht.
After his trial on Thursday for animal cruelty, Pannawit Padwaew, 35, was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 baht by the Nakhon Ratchasima provincial court in Pak Chong district.
The offence stemmed from an incident on Wednesday in which Mr Pannawit was seen by bystanders dragging a dog named "Salmon" along on a leash over 600 metres from his motorcycle outside the Pak Chong municipality office.
The dog sustained bruises, deep scratches, and was bleeding. The scene was captured in a video clip which went viral on social media.
Pakkawan Sukjai, a witness, said she was on her way to pick up her children from school when she saw the man, noting she thought he was making the dog exercise.
The man then sped up, and the dog, unable to keep up, was dragged along, she said.
She said she honked and tried to stop the man, and another car cut in front of the man's motorcycle and stopped him.
Vipawadee Saenkhamboonmak, a representative of the Watchdog Thailand Foundation, filed a complaint against Mr Pannawit, which led to his trial.
During the probe, Mr Pannawit told police that he had a fight with his boyfriend. In a fit of rage, he tried to get back at his boyfriend by hurting their pet, he said.
The dog was later put up for adoption. Its new owner, Siripong Sae Kang, said the dog initially trembled at night at his house but recovered the following morning.