Dog owner spins dog in the air like playing Jwibulnori, takes dog away again

Pohang City: "No Health Issues Found in Dog... Owner Claims Ownership"

A dog isolated at the Pohang City shelter due to abuse. Photo by Catchdog

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A dog that was horrifically abused while hanging by its leash in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, was placed under quarantine protection but was confirmed to have been returned to its owner after 5 days.

Netizens are protesting, saying, "It's like sending the abused child back home."

On the 18th, a livestock department official from Pohang City Hall explained, "The dog owner did not relinquish ownership and paid all the quarantine protection costs, so the dog was returned," adding, "There were no signs of abuse on the dog, and its personality was lively. The dog seemed to follow its owner well, and the bond between them appeared strong."

The owner reportedly signed a pledge to prevent animal abuse from recurring and promised to be careful to ensure such incidents do not happen again.

The pledge included provisions such as "allowing the local government to check the dog's condition at any time upon request."

Pohang City stated, "We will visit the site once a week to check on the dog's condition."

Previously, the dog's owner, a woman in her 20s identified as A, and her friend B, threw the dog, which was hanging by its leash, into the air and spun it around like playing with fire sticks in an alley in Duho-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang, on the night of December 28 last year.

A passerby filmed the scene and posted it on social media, sparking outrage among netizens who demanded that the perpetrators be punished.

The police investigated A and B on the 8th for violating the Animal Protection Act, and they stated, "There was no malice. It was done as a joke."

A pet dog spinning around up and down. Photo by Instagram capture.

The case was forwarded to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Pohang City placed the dog under quarantine protection starting from the 8th, and health checkups revealed no abnormalities in the dog's health.

However, the dog was returned to its owner after 5 days of quarantine protection because the local government cannot infringe on the owner's ownership rights over the pet.

Under the current Animal Protection Act, dogs that have suffered abuse can be quarantined and protected by local governments. However, pets are considered private property, and if the owner pays the protection costs and requests the return of the dog, it must be returned.

Upon hearing this news, netizens expressed great concern, raising their voices with comments such as "The Animal Protection Act needs to be strengthened" and "Shouldn't ownership be revoked in cases with a history of abuse?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.