On July 6, 2020, Sansão, a two-year-old pit bull in Confins, Minas Gerais, Brazil, was severely harmed. G1 reported that his hind legs were severed and that the case was handled by police. Public reports also record penalties against an aggressor and the case’s role in Brazil’s animal-cruelty debate.

From one dog to a named law

Sansão survived, but the attack caused national outrage. In September 2020, Brazil signed Law No. 14,064/2020, widely known as Lei Sansão. It increased penalties for cruelty against dogs and cats to two to five years in prison, with possible fines and bans on pet ownership.

This archive does not repeat operational details of the attack and does not use attack-scene footage. The case is included because it shows how harm to an individual animal can become a legal turning point.

Timeline

• 2020-07-06: Sansão was severely attacked in Confins.
• 2020-07-08 to 2020-07-09: G1 reported the case and penalty developments.
• 2020-09-29: Brazil signed Law No. 14,064/2020, widely called Lei Sansão.

Public Sources

• G1: Cão pitbull tem patas traseiras decepadas em Confins
• G1: agressor de Sansão é multado
• Migalhas: Lei que aumenta punição para maus-tratos a cães e gatos é sancionada
• Brazilian presidency: Lei nº 14.064, de 29 de setembro de 2020
• Wikimedia Commons: Sansão (dog)
• Wikipedia: Sansão case, with public source index