Hobby hunter fined 11,200 euros after his hunting dog bit four neighbours' cats to death

This case, too, is not an isolated incident.

Tomcat "Robin" was not the first victim of "Rufus", the German Wirehaired Pointer. The dog of a Marburg hunting tenant had apparently set its sights on the neighbour's pets: before Robin, Rufus had already bitten to death three other cats belonging to the 78-year-old woman. The hobby hunter had already stood trial over this in 2025. He appealed against the earlier verdict. Neither the first nor this new ruling is yet legally binding.

"Jumped out of the car": the hobby hunter's version

In court, the dog handler described the fatal incident on Christmas Eve as follows: "Rufus" had jumped out of the car and suddenly run off without a muzzle. Tomcat "Robin" had emerged from under another car at that very moment, and the dog could no longer be held back.

For the local court, this account was not an exculpatory argument but the core problem. The court held against the man that known risks should have been guarded against more thoroughly. The hearing addressed, among other things, the possibility of a muzzle or earlier securing of the dog during transport. What was decisive for the judge was not the animal's hunting instinct, but the owner's responsibility. Because the danger had already been known, additional precautions had been necessary.

In other words: anyone who knows that his hunting dog kills cats and nonetheless lets it out of the boot without a muzzle is willingly accepting the next dead tomcat.

Little insight, plenty of damage control

The man's defence lawyer stated that his client had responded to the earlier incidents: the dog was now only moved around the property on a lead and otherwise kept inside the house. The man had also ordered fences. The defence lawyer sought to have the hobby hunter merely given a caution. The court did not follow this.

Particularly telling: overall, the dog owner reportedly showed little insight. According to a witness who testified during the trial, the man is said to have stated that he could not help it if his neighbour kept getting a new cat.

So the blame lies not with the owner who fails to control his dog, but with the woman who, after three dead animals, still refuses to stop loving cats. A line of reasoning that rather accurately reflects the attitude of some hobby hunters towards the lives of other animals.

No ban on keeping animals, but a clear signal

Despite the conviction, the court did not impose a ban on keeping animals. In the judge's view, the measures taken in the meantime argue against a similar case recurring. For the affected neighbour, this changes little. At its core, the proceedings concerned not only a criminal matter, but also the repeated loss of several pets. Whether the defendant will also appeal this verdict remains to be seen.

When the "well-trained" hunting dog becomes a killer

This case joins a long series of incidents in which hunting dogs get out of control, kill pets or injure livestock. The hobby hunting community's self-portrayal, according to which hunting dogs are particularly rigorously tested, well-behaved and reliable, repeatedly fails to stand up to reality. A German Wirehaired Pointer is a powerful pointing dog with a pronounced prey drive. Anyone who keeps such an animal takes on responsibility, and that means for every single living being that comes within its reach.

That it takes four dead cats, two court cases and a five-figure fine for this point to sink in says more about hobby hunting culture than any promotional film by a hunting association.

Song: "When the Dogs Come»