Inconsiderate Dog Owner Abandons Pet at Park Leaving Note Saying "Free to Anyone Who Wants to Raise"

Gajeong Animal Hospital States "Abandoning Pets Is a Serious Crime"
Over 100,000 Pets Abandoned Annually

Netizens are outraged at a dog owner who abandoned their pet dog in a park, leaving a note saying "Free to anyone who wants to raise it." A photo of the abandoned dog 'Ttunbam' was posted last month on the Instagram of the Family Animal Hospital, an animal shelter in Seo-gu, Incheon. Ttunbam was found tied to a park bench. It is known to be a female mixed breed dog about six months old.

[Photo by Incheon City Companion Animal Hospital Instagram]

The story of Ttunbam's discovery remains a hot topic in online communities even after two weeks. The reason is the shocking content of the note found with Ttunbam at the time of discovery. At the location where Ttunbam was found, a piece of paper had the phrase "Free to anyone who wants to raise!" written on it.

The Family Animal Hospital expressed regret in an interview with a media outlet, saying, "It was not an apologetic tone, but a cheerful-looking exclamation mark was even attached to the word 'free'." They added, "Ttunbam, who was abandoned so easily along with such an irresponsible word, was even wearing a yellow cape." They urged, "Abandoning animals is a clear crime. If you are going to abandon them, please do not raise them."

Urgent Need for Measures as Pet Abandonment Rapidly Increases

A photo of the abandoned dog "Ttunbam" was posted last month on the Instagram of the Abandoned Animal Shelter Pet Hospital in Seo-gu, Incheon. Ttunbam was found tied to a park bench. She is known to be a female mixed breed dog about 6 months old.
[Photo by Incheon Pet Hospital Instagram]

As pet abandonment rapidly increases domestically, urgent measures are needed. Although a pet registration system is in place, it is often not properly followed, making it difficult to identify the owners of abandoned animals. As a result, animal shelters in Korea have already reached saturation.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of rescued and protected lost and abandoned animals increased from 102,593 in 2017 to 121,077 in 2018, and 135,791 in 2019. It then gradually decreased to 118,273 in 2021. On the other hand, the number of lost and abandoned animals returned to their families was only 14,006 cases (12%), 30,209 cases (25.8%) died naturally while under protection, and 18,406 cases (15.7%) were euthanized. Meanwhile, 38,044 cases (32.5%) were adopted by new owners.

Abandoning pets is a criminal offense under the Animal Protection Act. The Act stipulates that owners who abandon animals may be fined up to 3 million won. If a dangerous dog is abandoned, the penalty can be imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won. However, there are criticisms that actual court rulings still impose fines below 1 million won, resulting in lenient punishments.

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