Animal Shelter That Claimed to Raise Pets Instead... Illegally Buried Over 100 Dogs

'Paid for Abandoned Animal Protection' 118 Animals Secretly Buried
Irresponsible Pet Ownership and Abandonment Also a Problem

Dog carcasses found in Yeoju.
[Photo by Life, an animal protection organization]

One of the 'animal shelters' that take in pets on consignment when their owners find it difficult to care for them has been caught secretly burying over 100 dogs handed over to a disposal operator.

On the 14th, according to Yeoju Police Station, two people including A (in her 30s), the owner of a private animal shelter in Icheon, were arrested and sent to prosecution on charges including violation of the Animal Protection Act, along with three disposal operators including B (in his 30s). Additionally, seven employees of the company were sent to prosecution without detention on the same charges.

A and others are suspected of handing over 118 dogs from the animal shelter to disposal operator B between December last year and April this year, paying 100,000 to 300,000 KRW per dog to have them euthanized. B is suspected of burying the dogs on his land in Jangam-ri, Buknae-myeon, Yeoju City.

This fact was revealed by an animal organization. Earlier, the animal protection group Life first discovered the secretly buried dog carcasses in April and reported it to the police. According to the autopsy results from the National Forensic Service, most of the dogs died from blunt force trauma to the head. Some dogs died from suffocation or malnutrition.

The police, upon launching an investigation, questioned landowner B and confirmed that A and others had requested the disposal of companion dogs, subsequently arresting those involved one by one.

A was found to have posted recruitment ads mainly online, offering to care for pets that owners found difficult to raise due to circumstances, and received between 1 million and 6 million KRW per dog from owners who contacted her after seeing the ads.

A’s company allowed the dogs entrusted to them to stay at the shelter for at least 30 days, showing their condition to the owners. The contract was operated so that the viewing period could be extended depending on the amount of the deposit. During this process, A reportedly ran the business by handing over dogs whose viewing period had mostly ended to B for euthanasia. Shim In-seop, the representative of Life, pointed out, "New types of pet shops like A’s are rapidly increasing recently, exploiting the guilt of people who give up their pets for profit," adding, "There also needs to be reflection on the irresponsible behavior of easily raising and then abandoning companion animals."

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