"Continued Pressing While Wiping Blood"... Dog Kindergarten Owner Causes 3.5kg Poodle's Teeth to Fall Out

Animal Abuse Charges for 3.5kg, 10-Year-Old Senior Dog
Fined Despite Claim of "Dominance Training"

The owner of a dog kindergarten in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, was fined for animal abuse after pressing down on an elderly poodle for over 10 minutes during so-called "training," causing its teeth to fall out because the dog had bitten his hand.

Mr. A continued to exert control even after realizing there was a problem with the victim dog's teeth, wiping the blood from the dog's mouth and not stopping the control actions until the dog defecated about 10 minutes later. Getty Images

On May 5, the First Division of the Supreme Court (Presiding Justice Cheon Dae-yeop) recently rejected the appeal of Mr. A (30), the owner of a dog kindergarten in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, who was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act and other offenses, and upheld the lower court's decision to impose a fine of 3 million won.

Mr. A was accused of animal abuse for grabbing the jaw of a poodle and pinning it between his legs for about 14 minutes after the dog bit his hand during training in July 2024, causing dental dislocation and other injuries. The victim dog weighed about 3.5 kg and was 10 years old, the equivalent of about 60 in human years.

Mr. A argued that he was conducting "dominance training" to prevent the victim dog from biting people or other dogs, and claimed that the tooth loss occurred not due to his training, but during the process of the dog biting him.

Neither the first trial, the appeals court, nor the Supreme Court accepted Mr. A's arguments. It was reported that the dog's owner had warned Mr. A that the dog "is afraid of men, lacks social skills, and is sensitive" when leaving the dog in his care. Despite the victim dog's refusal to participate in the training, Mr. A tried to continue by placing the dog on his lap, and when the dog turned its head away and nipped at his hand, he pressed down on the dog.

Mr. A continued the restraining actions for some time even after realizing that the victim dog's teeth were injured, and reportedly did not stop the restraining actions for about 10 minutes while wiping the blood from the dog's mouth until it defecated. Mr. A submitted YouTube videos by canine training experts as evidence, but was unable to overturn the court's decision.

The first trial stated, "Even in the video, 'dominance training' involves turning the dog over and lightly poking its jaw or side 1–2 times with a finger. There is no indication of pressing down on a dog with one's body for more than 10 minutes." The appeals court also pointed out, "It is reasonable to conclude that the actions exceeded the scope of ordinary discipline as commonly accepted in society and caused pain or injury to the victim dog," adding, "According to the victim dog's medical certificate, its teeth, gums, and oral cavity were generally healthy at the time of the incident."

The Supreme Court concurred with these lower court judgments and finalized the 3 million won fine imposed in the first trial. The Supreme Court stated, "At the very least, from the moment Mr. A recognized the dental injury, he could have sought alternative means of control to minimize pain. Instead, by continuing with the same restraining methods even more forcefully, it is reasonable to conclude that the method and degree of force exceeded the socially acceptable limits of justification."

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