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Swaziland Judge Loses Dog Custody Battle

A Swaziland court on Tuesday ordered a top judge who has been embroiled in a messy battle over custody of a dachshund puppy to return it to its owner.

The magistrates court in the capital Mbabane ordered Judge Jacobus Annandale to return the furry sausage dog to his neighbor Bhekiwe Dlamini, after he had it seized from her a week ago.

Annandale, an avid dog-breeder, had sold the long-bodied pup to Dlamini but later accused her of abusing it and sent police officers with a fake court order to take it back.

Magistrate Ndumiso Shongwe overturned the interim order obtained by Annandale and dismissed the case.

The court also dismissed the judge's claim that Dlamini had failed to take care of the canine, and made it sleep in the fly-infested cold.

In his ruling, the magistrate said there had been no conditions attached to the agreement of sale between the two parties.

The dog had been temporarily kept by Swaziland Animal Welfare Society during the custody battle.

Source: Agence France Presse


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