BARKING UNDER OATH

Allowing dogs as “witnesses” in court cases in France has become “something of a recent trend,” reported European news site The Local Paris edition in April. Tango, a 9-year-old Labrador retriever, took the witness stand in Tours so the judge could observe how he reacted to the defendant, on trial for killing the dog’s owner. For due process of law, a second dog, Norman, took the stand later, as part of a “control group.” Finally, the judge dismissed the pooches, saying he learned nothing from them.