Crime and Fur: True Stories of Animals on Trial

In 1457, a sow was tried, convicted, and executed for homicide in a French court. In 1474, a rooster was burned at the stake in Basel for the crime of laying an egg. In 1924, a dog was assigned a prisoner number and sentenced to life in a Pennsylvania penitentiary.These are not legends. These are documented facts, preserved in court records, ecclesiastical archives, and notarial documents that hav...