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Man charged with killing dog with car says he 'didn't mean to'

Published: 07 Apr. 2025, 21:29 Updated: 07 Apr. 2025, 23:01

YOON SO-YEON
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A large dog, appearing to be a Chow Chow, is seen dangling motionless from a rope attached to a trunk of a white car in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, on April 6. [YONHAP]

A man accused of killing a dog by dragging it through the streets with his car on Sunday afternoon told investigators that he “didn't mean to,” police said Monday.

The man, who is in his 70s, was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act, but denied having intentionally done so in preliminary police questioning.

The man was driving along a road in Daedeok-dong, Dangjin, in South Chungcheong with a large Chow Chow dog tied to his trunk around 1 p.m. on Sunday, the Dangjin Police Precinct said.

Police received a report around 2:17 p.m. that a dog was being dragged through the streets. They caught the man approximately 20 minutes later with a dead dog near the car.

The police said the man was not the owner of the dog, but had met the owner of the now-dead pet at a Chow Chow owners' club and was returning it to its owner after borrowing it to breed with his own Chow Chow.

“I put the dog in the trunk because it was too big to fit in the back seat,” the man told police. “I drove with the trunk open because I thought the dog wouldn't be able to breathe. I think the dog jumped out of the trunk.”

“I did not mean to abuse or kill the dog,” he said.

Some evidence, however, argues otherwise. Witnesses and the emergency call log indicated that he had been driving around with the dog hanging at the back of the vehicle for more than an hour.

Police said they'd also made contact with the dog's owner, who had not complied with a summons due to mental damage.

“We could also charge [the suspect] with property damage because the dog belonged to someone else,” police said. “We are looking at the possibility of other offenses and legal measures accordingly.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]