Pet Shop That Caused Dog's Death Still Operating After 7 Months... Owner Files Complaint

Pet Owner Who Lost Dog Files Complaint Against Groomer with Police
Business Still Operating Due to Delayed Administrative Action

In May, a dog groomer at a pet shop fatally struck a dog, and the controversial pet shop continues to operate.

On the 26th, KBS reported that in May this year, a groomer at a pet grooming business in Changwon, Gyeongnam, fatally struck the head of a 4-year-old Maltese while trimming its fur. The incident was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), showing the groomer's abuse. When the Maltese twitched its leg during the grooming, the groomer forcefully struck the dog's head with the hand holding the grooming machine. The dog, shocked by the blow, collapsed and died on the spot. After the dog's death, the pet shop offered the owner 10 million won to settle the matter. The owner, who had raised the pet for four years, filed a complaint against the groomer with the police.

On the 26th, KBS reported that in May of this year, a groomer at a pet grooming business in Changwon, Gyeongnam, fatally struck the head of a 4-year-old Maltese while trimming its fur. The incident was captured in full on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
[Photo by KBS News]

The police viewed this as a violation of the Animal Protection Act and sent the groomer to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment. Under the current Animal Protection Act, killing or causing the death of an animal is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. Regarding this, the pet groomer declined an interview, saying, "Honestly, talking about this makes me too heartbroken, so I don't want to talk. I am sorry." It was also reported that because the trial is ongoing and administrative sanctions have been delayed, the pet shop has continued its business even seven months after the incident. Meanwhile, the groomer, charged with violating the Animal Protection Act, is scheduled for the first trial next month.

The Era of 5 Million Pet Households, with Increasing Incidents and Accidents

The market size related to pets also grew from 1.9 trillion won in 2015 to 3.4 trillion won in 2021, and it is expected to increase to over 4 trillion won this year.
[Photo by KBS News]

The number of households raising pets is increasing year by year. Recently, the Korea Rural Economic Institute announced that as of the end of last year, about 5.52 million households were raising pets. The number of pet owners reaches 12.62 million. This means that one in four households in the country has a pet.

The pet-related market size has also grown from 1.9 trillion won in 2015 to 3.4 trillion won in 2021, and it is expected to exceed 4 trillion won this year. As the market size grows, incidents and accidents are also increasing, but related laws are still insufficient, leading to growing calls for amendments.

First, under civil law, pets are treated as 'objects.' A proposed amendment to add a clause stating "animals are not objects" remains pending in the National Assembly. Therefore, anyone can buy any animal by paying money and can abandon it if they no longer want it. Sales contracts designed to protect buyers require basic information and health details of the animal, but do not verify the buyer's ability to care for or the environment in which the animal will be raised. The increase in abandoned animals proportional to the pet population is due to these reasons.

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