A dog, bound by a leash and turned into the air, is being quarantined at a shelter in Pohang City. Catchdog provided
The owner A, who was accused of animal cruelty by turning his dog as if playing a rat in the air, did not give up ownership, which is controversial. The puppy, known as an 11-month-old poodle, returned to its owner on the 13th after five days of quarantine protection.
On the 18th, an official from the livestock department of Pohang City Hall said in a call with the JoongAng Ilbo, “I asked for the intention to give up ownership several times, but Gyeonju did not give up ownership, but paid all the quarantine measures and took all costs to return it.” An official from Pohang City Hall added, “Gunju has a good relationship with the dog, and he has a lot of reflection on the controversial behavior.” He added, “We will continue to monitor the animal abuse recurrence pledge.”
According to the current cave protection law, even if the abused dog is quarantined in a local government shelter, it must be returned if the dog owner requests the dog to be returned. This is because animals are recognized as private property and cannot be forcibly taken away. Article 14 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Animal Protection Act stipulates that’when protecting animals that have been abused by their owners, they must be protected by a fixed period according to the diagnosis of a veterinarian, but must be quarantined from the owner for at least 3 days’.
“I have no choice but to wish not to be abused”… US limited ownership
In Pohang, a dog in her twenties turns a dog while holding a leash. Catchdog provided
Gyeonju A and friend B were arrested on December 28th last year for violating the Animal Protection Act while holding a dog collar near a villa in Duho-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang City, and turning it in the air two or three times. In the police investigation, Mr. A stated, “The dog is cute, so I made it fun without thinking.” The puppy was quarantined in Pohang City, followed by radiation and blood tests, and there was no abnormality in health.
When it was announced through online communities or social media that Gong-ju, who was accused of abuse, took the puppy back, comments about the puppy were poured out. One netizen expressed frustration, saying, “I have no choice but to hope that I will not be abused again.”
Animal rights groups argued that if an animal abuser is arrested, the abused animal should be seized even before conviction. Ahn Jong-min, an activist of’Catch Dog’, said, “If you do not give up ownership, the dog will eventually return to the abused dog, so there is no way to confirm whether the dog is abused afterwards. We have to make sure that we can take over ownership of the animals.”
In fact, there are many places in the United States that restrict ownership of animals if they are convicted of cruelty to animals. The state of Illinois allows law enforcement officials to seize and seize the pet at the same time as the criminal’s arrest, and permanently deprive the abuser of all rights to the animal if convicted. The state of Nebraska also imposes an injunction on animal cruelers not to own or live with any animal for 5 to 15 years.
In Korea, amendments to the Animal Protection Act have been proposed several times to restrict ownership of animal abusers, but it has not exceeded the threshold of the National Assembly. In 2017, the Democratic Party lawmaker Han Jeong-ae, who was a candidate for the Minister of Environment, proposed a related amendment, but it was not passed due to lack of conditions at the local government shelter, which is a party to the quarantine measure.
Reporter Chun Kwon-pil and Lee Soo-min intern [email protected]