Police arrest dog shelter owners, contractor for burying dogs illegally

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Police arrest dog shelter owners, contractor for burying dogs illegally

Published: 15 Nov. 2023, 11:35

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Discovered bodies of dead dogs [LIFE, JOONGANG PHOTO]

Hundreds of relinquished dogs were slaughtered and illegally buried in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, by pet shelter owners and contractors, according to the Yeoju police on Tuesday.

The police allege the shelter owner, from last December to this April, paid a contractor 100,000 won ($76) and 300,000 won per dog to bury a total of 118 dogs.

The relinquished dogs were handed over from the shelter in Icheon to the contractor's property in Bungnae-myeon in Yeoju, where they were buried.

Two shelter owners and three contractors implicated in the case are held under detention for violating the Animal Protection Act. Seven others facing the same charges are not held under detention.

The case is now referred to the prosecution.

An animal rights group, Life, made a report to the police after discovering the mass grave in April.

The group found that the dogs' bodies were not buried properly and not deep enough. It also found that the dogs seemed to have died from malnutrition.

The National Forensic Service's autopsy results said those dogs were either hit by a blunt instrument or asphyxiated at the moment of slaughter. Also, severe malnutrition played a critical role in their deaths.

The police investigated the landowner, a contractor, and found the link between the shelter owner and himself.

The shelter owner advertised itself online, saying his facility could take care of the dogs if pet owners wanted to relinquish them. He received 1 million to 6 million won per dog from the dog owners.

When the dogs were handed over, the shelter owner shared photos of their dogs at the shelter with his clients. Then, he extended the period of sharing photos per the size of the payment he received from the dog owners.

When the sharing period expired, the shelter owner sent those dogs to the contractor for disposal.

"The shelter owner abused people's guilt coming from relinquishing their pets to earn money. This type of pet business has sprung up everywhere these days," Shim In-seop, the group's representative, said.

"People should reflect on their behavior of adopting and raising pets without contemplation or taking full responsibility."

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]