Since last April, dog owners’ obligations regarding dog bite accidents have been greatly strengthened, and the number of dog breeds that cannot leave their home without their owners has been expanded from vicious dogs to all dog breeds.
However, recently, in residential areas in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, accidents due to the owner’s carelessness have continued, such as dogs wandering around without owners biting and killing other dogs.
Reporter Song Se-hyuk covered the story.
[Reporter]
On the evening of the 21st, a sidewalk in a residential area in Gangneung스포츠토토.
Two medium-sized dogs that appear to be Jindo dogs suddenly attack their owner and his dog while they were walking.
The owner tries his best to save his dog, but it is not enough.
Even when a young man nearby swings his bag at him, he avoids it and continues to bite the dog.
The dogs’ attack continued for about a minute, and the victim required major surgery, requiring more than 70 stitches.
The owner also suffered 3 weeks of trauma and is receiving psychiatric treatment due to shock.
[Lee Seon-hee / Victim dog owner: My dog just gets eaten and can’t do anything, and I can’t do anything… .]
It was confirmed that the assailants also bit and killed another puppy nearby.
Jindo dogs are not classified as vicious dogs, but the offending dogs were not on leashes or muzzles at the time.
The police reported the case and began an investigation.
[Lee Seon-hee / Victim dog owner: I heard (from the police) that the dogs escaped when they came to the house to wash and the door was not locked.] Since
last April, the breed of dogs that are not allowed to leave the place where they live without an owner has been changed from vicious dogs to all companion dogs. The Animal Protection Act, which strengthened the responsibilities of dog owners and expanded it, was implemented.
If a dog bite accident occurs without safety measures in place, you will be subject to up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
On average, more than 2,000 dog bite accidents occur across the country each year.
Strengthening punishment is important, but it seems necessary for dog owners to have a thorough sense of responsibility under the premise that ‘all dogs can bite’ rather than ‘my dog doesn’t bite’.