Around September 14, 2022, multiple animal poisoning incidents occurred at Shoukai Changyiyuan residential compound in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Public reports say resident Zhang Mouhua placed the banned highly toxic substance sodium fluoroacetate in public areas of the compound, killing companion dogs and stray cats. The Paper reported after the second-instance judgment that nine pet dogs and two stray cats died. Papi, a West Highland White Terrier, was among the victims. Papi's guardian, Ms. Li, then spent years pursuing accountability. The case moved from property-loss claims into a criminal prosecution for placing dangerous substances. On December 11, 2025, Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court sentenced Zhang to four years in prison. On April 16, 2026, the second-instance court upheld the judgment.

A deadly poison left inside an ordinary neighborhood

Around September 14, 2022, companion dogs in Shoukai Changyiyuan began to show symptoms of poisoning. Sina's report, citing Qilu Evening News and other outlets, described Papi as a 13-year-old West Highland White Terrier. After poisoning, Papi screamed, convulsed and vomited blood; treatment and dialysis could not save her. Other dogs in the same compound were poisoned as well.

People's Daily app, citing CCTV, reported that sodium fluoroacetate was detected in the examined bodies of the poisoned dogs. This substance is a banned highly toxic poison associated with rodenticides and pesticides. Placing it in a residential public area was not only cruelty to animals; it also left uncontrolled danger for every person and animal passing through the compound.

From property loss to criminal prosecution

At first, the case did not fall under a dedicated animal-cruelty law. Public reports show that it was initially handled through a property-loss track. Papi's guardian Ms. Li and other affected dog guardians kept submitting materials and pushing the legal path forward. On January 5, 2023, police opened a case on suspicion of placing dangerous substances. The case was heard in October 2023.

China Youth Online reported that on December 11, 2025, Beijing's first criminal public-prosecution case over pet-dog poisoning received its first-instance judgment: Zhang Mouhua was sentenced to four years for placing dangerous substances. The judgment also stated that uncivilized dog keeping is not a reason for poisoners or animal abusers to take extreme action. That line matters: complaints about dog management can be handled through reporting, regulation and law enforcement, but not by leaving deadly poison for innocent animals.

A rare accountability result that also exposes a legal gap

The Paper reported in April 2026 that Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court upheld the criminal judgment: Zhang remained sentenced to four years for intentionally placing dangerous substances. At the same time, the claims by five appellants for emotional distress compensation were not supported. The case therefore achieved criminal accountability, but through a public-safety offense rather than a dedicated law protecting companion animals from cruelty.

Ms. Li's years of persistence were for her own dog and also for lives that could not speak for themselves. Her effort made more people see that pets are often treated as property in the current system, while the pain of losing them is far more than property loss. When poison was thrown into the compound, what died was not only several animals but also ordinary people's trust in a safe and decent living space.

These lives should not be remembered only by price

In photos outside the court, images of the dead animals were placed on a board, and supporters brought living dogs to the scene. It was not a spectacle, but a quiet witness: Papi and the other dead dogs and cats had names, habits and people who cared for them. They had lived in that compound like members of ordinary families.

This archive records the case because it combines cruelty, public danger and institutional significance. Deliberate poisoning is not a private dispute, nor can it be excused by saying someone dislikes dogs. When malice toward animals is tolerated, it ultimately harms the basic order in which humans and animals live together.

Timeline

• Around September 14, 2022: Multiple dogs were poisoned at Shoukai Changyiyuan; media reports say nine pet dogs and two stray cats died.
• January 5, 2023: Police opened a case on suspicion of placing dangerous substances.
• October 26, 2023: The case was heard in court.
• December 11, 2025: Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court sentenced Zhang Mouhua to four years for placing dangerous substances.
• April 16, 2026: The second-instance court upheld the judgment; emotional distress compensation claims in the civil part were not supported.

Public Sources

• People's Daily app: man poisoned dogs in a Beijing residential public area and received four years in first instance
• China Youth Online: first-instance judgment in Beijing's first criminal public-prosecution pet-dog poisoning case
• The Paper: second-instance judgment in Beijing's first pet-poisoning case upheld the original sentence
• Sina News roundup: Papi's guardian and the Beijing Chaoyang pet-poisoning judgment
• Jiemian News: scene report on Beijing's first criminal public-prosecution pet-poisoning case