In May 2023, a woman in Yuncheng County, Heze, Shandong sought help online, saying that her husband Zhang Moumou had killed her corgi Pipi during a family conflict and threatened her with a knife. Yuncheng police said on May 29 that the reported facts were true and that Zhang had been given twelve days of administrative detention and a 300-yuan fine. Public reports preserved photos of Pipi, video stills, help-seeking chat records and the police notice. This archive records the case not as a private quarrel, but as the killing of a companion animal used as intimidation and retaliation.

Pipi, the corgi who was killed

Public reports show Pipi as a yellow-and-white corgi living beside her guardian. She was a companion animal, not an object to be used for anger, punishment or coercion.

According to the woman’s online appeal and media reports, Zhang harmed Pipi during a family conflict and sent threats and related materials to his wife. Pipi lost her life, while her guardian was forced to endure fear and psychological injury.

Police notice and punishment

Yuncheng police said they investigated after online reports that Zhang had killed the corgi raised by his wife and threatened her with a knife. The police notice confirmed the reported facts.

Zhang was given twelve days of administrative detention and a 300-yuan fine. The case shows again how, without a dedicated anti-cruelty law, the killing of a companion animal is often handled through public-security, threat or domestic-conflict frameworks.

Animal harm as domestic intimidation

The cruelty here was not only that a dog was killed. Pipi was used as a target of retaliation and a medium of intimidation within an intimate relationship.

The preserved chat records and online accounts help readers understand that harm to companion animals can be tied to control, revenge, threats and contempt for vulnerable life.

Why this case must be kept

Some may call a pet personal property, but companion animals are sentient lives and part of real emotional bonds. Using such a life as leverage is cruel and contemptible.

Pipi’s death exposed a gap between public moral outrage and available punishment. This archive keeps the case so that her life is not reduced to a short wave of anger.

Linha do tempo

• May 28, 2023: Online reports said Zhang killed his wife’s corgi and threatened her with a knife.
• May 29, 2023: Yuncheng police issued a notice confirming the reported facts.
• May 29, 2023: Police said Zhang received twelve days of administrative detention and a 300-yuan fine.
• Late May 2023: Chinese media continued to report and comment on the case.

Fontes públicas

This article is based on public reports by The Paper, CCTV.com, Guangming and Southern Metropolis Daily. The police confirmed the core facts; chat records, final video stills and online appeals are recorded as public materials preserved by media reports.

• The Paper: police notice and public report
• CCTV.com: man punished for killing wife’s dog and threatening her
• Guangming: commentary on the killing of the corgi Pipi
• Southern Metropolis Daily: case report and screenshots