H49A. Husband, wife, and innocently murdered dog (.24.38.)

A man does not understand that a dog or cat wanted to save his wife or preserve her honor and is killing an animal.

Malaysia-Indonesia. Boogie [(plug-in story in a series of proofs of the harm of hasty action); the merchant leaves, leaving his wife in the care of the dog; the wife accepts a lover; the dog gnawed his throat; the wife kicks the dog with her foot, she bit her, the woman died; the husband who comes in sees his wife covered in blood, kills the dog, then sees the man's corpse, repents]: Kahlo 1967:18-32 (the episode with the dog on p. 30-31).

Japan. The Japanese [the cat accompanies the owner everywhere; the owner suspects that his wife has an affair with the cat; he cut off his head; his head flies to a hidden snake that was about to swallow the owner; gnawed a snake's throat; a temple was erected for the cat (now Neko-dera ("Kotu temple") in Niigata Prefecture]: Ikeda 1971, No. 178D: 46.