It might be a week on from April Fool’s day but this is one of those stories that leaves you checking the date just to make sure.
So where did this unusual event take place? You’re probably thinking this highly unusual piece of very important legal testimony occurred in some tiny little principality with its own unique and unorthodox customs and legal protocol?
Well, it’s France.
The nine-year-old Labrador, called Tango, was placed in the witness stand by a vet during a preliminary hearing of the murder trial in an effort to identify his owner’s murderer.
He wasn’t alone though.
Norman, also a Labrador, was also taken to the witness stand as part of a so-called “control group” so as to compare their reactions.
The suspect’s lawyer Gregoire Lafarge said:
“So if Tango lifted his right paw, moved his mouth or his tail, is he recognising my client or not?
“I find it very troubling for the French legal system. If a judge ignores the demands of reason and surrounds himself with experts who are unreasonable, well the system becomes very dangerous.”
You might be shocked to learn, the canine witness testimony was not deemed to be a success and both dogs have been allowed to stand down.
Photo by az1172 
