"Received Significant Stress"... Poodle Owner Who Buried Dog Alive Given Suspended Sentence

Court: "Violation of Animal Protection Act... 80 Hours of Community Service"

The dog owner who buried a poodle alive underground was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

Judge Oh Ji-ae of Jeju District Court Criminal Division 1 on the 24th sentenced a woman in her 30s, Ms. A, and a man in his 40s, Mr. B, an acquaintance of Ms. A, who were prosecuted for violating the Animal Protection Act, to six months in prison with a two-year suspension. They were also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

On the morning of April 19 last year, a living poodle was found buried alive in a vacant lot in Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, with only its mouth and nose exposed. The photo shows the condition at the time of discovery, shared by the rescuer on an online community. [Photo by Online Community]

According to the charges, on April 19 of last year, around 2:54 a.m., they dug a hole with a shovel prepared in advance at a vacant lot in Aewol-eup, Jeju City, and Ms. A buried a poodle she was raising alive.

The poodle buried underground was discovered by a passerby around 8:50 p.m., six hours later. At the time of discovery, the poodle was sticking out only its nose and snout and was making "woo, woo" sounds.

Even after being rescued, it was scared and appeared emaciated. The poodle, estimated to be about seven years old, had a registered chip, meaning it had an owner.

Previously, Jeju mandated animal registration for companion dogs over two months old. Failure to comply results in a fine ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 KRW. Animal registration can be done via implanted microchip or external collar type.

Ms. A initially stated that she had lost the dog she was raising, but after the incident sparked public outrage, she and Mr. B surrendered themselves on the 21st of the same month.

Afterwards, Ms. A changed her statement from "I lost the companion dog" to "I thought it was dead and buried it." However, after the police reviewed CCTV and vehicle black box footage, it was confirmed that the poodle was alive when buried.

Ms. A’s lawyer appealed for leniency during the final argument on the 6th of last month, stating, "At the time, the defendant was under great mental stress due to personal matters and committed this crime impulsively." At this time, Ms. A also bowed her head in her final statement, saying, "I am sorry to the dog."

The court explained the sentencing by saying, "Considering the motive of the crime, the nature of the offense is bad," but "taking into account that all defendants are first-time offenders and that the victim dog was rescued."

Meanwhile, the poodle, which had suffered from skin disease due to this incident, has fortunately recovered its health and reportedly met a new owner in Jeju, receiving the name 'Dami.'

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