Animal Lives Determined by Human Touch... Surge in Owners Abandoning Animals

From a Ragged Dog to a Smiling Tori: 'Life Turnaround for Dogs'
Animal Lives Change with Human Touch... Concerns Over Surge in Abandoned Animals During Chuseok Holiday

The changed expression of former President Moon Jae-in's pet dog, Tori, has become a hot topic on social networking services (SNS). Tori is a stray dog adopted by former President Moon from the animal protection organization 'Care'.
/Photo by Care, captured from former President Moon's Instagram.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Concerns are growing that the number of abandoned animals may increase during the Chuseok holiday. This is because some people abandon their pets due to having no place to leave them while being away from home for an extended period during the holiday, with an estimated 100,000 dogs abandoned each year.

Recently, former President Moon Jae-in's pet dog, Tori, has become a hot topic on social networking services (SNS). After receiving care from people, Tori's expression began to brighten, changing so much that it is hard to recall its past appearance.

Tori is a stray dog adopted by former President Moon shortly after his inauguration in 2017 from the animal protection organization CARE. In October 2015, when Tori was four years old, it was rescued from an abandoned house in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and had been waiting for its owner for two years.

According to CARE, before the rescue, Tori was unmanaged, with matted and dirty fur hanging long, and was not eating properly due to abuse. Even after the rescue, hardships continued as Tori was rejected for adoption because it was a black mixed-breed dog. This is due to the influence of the "Black Dog Syndrome," which views black dogs as ominous.

Former President Moon stated, "Tori is a so-called ugly dog covered entirely with black fur and has not been adopted yet," adding, "From the philosophy and conviction that both humans and animals have the right to be free from prejudice and discrimination, I decided to adopt Tori as the First Dog."

Tori was adopted by former President Moon and became the protagonist of a 'dog life reversal.' As the world's first stray dog First Dog, Tori also served as the mascot for campaigns in 2018 promoting the end of dog meat consumption and encouraging the adoption of abandoned animals.

Abandoned dogs at an animal shelter [Photo by Yonhap News]

Like Tori, who achieved a 'dog life reversal' from a ragged stray dog to the First Dog, animals' lives are greatly influenced by the relationships they have with humans. However, as awareness of how to treat companion animals has not improved, the number of abandoned animals continues to increase every year.

According to the '2021 Lost and Abandoned Animal Analysis' released by Animal Freedom Coalition in January, a total of 116,984 companion animals were abandoned or lost their owners. Although this is a decrease of 11,733 cases (9.1%) compared to 2020 (128,717 animals), the number has exceeded 100,000 for five consecutive years: 2017 (100,840), 2018 (118,697), and 2019 (133,513).

In particular, abandoned animals have surged since the social distancing measures were lifted. According to the Animal Protection Management System of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency on the 3rd, the number of abandoned animals sharply increased after social distancing was eased in April. In July, there were 11,761 abandoned animals, about 45% more than 6,441 in February and about 20% more than 9,367 in April.

Lee Won-bok, president of the Korea Animal Protection Union, said there is great concern as abandoned animals tend to increase especially during the summer vacation season and holiday periods. He said, "Abandoning companion animals is a clear crime, but when people have to travel far during holidays, they often abandon their pets because there is nowhere to leave them," adding, "The government needs to raise awareness that animal abandonment is a crime through publicity and other methods, and expand related infrastructure to prevent animals from being abandoned due to lack of care facilities."

Lee also said, "Looking at the condition of dogs rescued after abandonment, many hide from human touch or show signs of panic disorder. The anxiety animals feel when abandoned by their owners is indescribably great," adding, "Unlike humans, animals have only one owner in the world, so when abandoned, they suffer wounds that cannot be healed."

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