Two people have been arrested in Sa Kaeo province's Aranyaprathet district for allegedly shooting dead a neighbour's dog and using its meat to make jerky, according to an animal rights group.
The Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT) yesterday posted details about the case on social media after receiving a complaint from the dog's owner, Thawatchai Thavornsilp.
According to Mr Thawatchai, his wife heard a gunshot coming from their neighbours' house on the day of the incident, but did not think anything was amiss since their neighbours had shot dogs for their meat on a number of occasions.
However, a bit later, he and his wife noticed that one of their four dogs was missing, so he went to his neighbours' house and asked them if they had seen his pet. They did not answer his query, only saying they had to leave and run some errands.
While at the house, Mr Thawatchai said he saw dog meat being sun-dried to make jerky. Among several butchered dogs, he spotted one whose coat matched that of his dog, leading him to believe his neighbours had killed his dog.
Police officers visited the house after Mr Thawatchai made a complaint and found two suspects: Sawaeng Ngamboonchuay, 68, and Prasit Huntayung, 56.
They claimed that the slaughtered dog was their own and were being questioned further at Aranyaprathet Provincial Police Station, with the WDT closely monitoring the case.