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Abandoned dog rescued in mountains with 66-pound weight tied to neck

Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 19:57 Updated: 08 Jun. 2025, 22:35

A dog tied to 30-kilogram (66-pound) barbell plates found in a neighborhood [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A dog was rescued after being found abandoned in the mountains with a 30-kilogram (66-pound) iron weight tied to its neck.

A post was uploaded to an online dog shelter and adoption forum detailing the story of the dog, named Bell, on Monday.

The person who first discovered Bell said they'd found the dog sitting in an alley on a rainy day in early May with a barbell plate attached to her collar. Her legs were bleeding.

“The neighbors called it in and took it to a shelter,” the person said. “We checked the nearby CCTV, and it looked like she had dragged the iron weight from the mountain down into town over several days. Someone had abandoned her in the mountains.”

Bell was later transferred to a city-operated shelter and an adoption notice was posted. At most municipal shelters, if an owner or adopter does not appear within about 10 days, the dog is put down.

A dog tied to 30-kilogram barbell plates found in a neighborhood [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A few days later, a man claiming to be Bell’s owner came forward. He said he'd used the barbell “because there was nowhere to tie the dog temporarily,” and claimed she ran off while dragging it.

The shelter filed a report against him on suspicion of animal abuse, but the man refused to give up ownership of the dog.

However, he never returned to claim her by the time the adoption notice period ended and was eventually deemed to have forfeited ownership.

Online, commenters reacted with outrage, writing, “Animal abuse laws need to carry harsher penalties,” “If you're going to abuse animals, don’t keep them. You’ll face divine punishment,” “Animal abuse is a classic pattern of psychopathy” and “Poor thing. That must have been so hard — but good people will come for you, I know they will.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]