"Why Are You Filming My Pet?" Unauthorized Pet Filming Conflicts... Pet Owners 'Furious' [Kim Suwan's Animal Report]

Filming Others' Pets Without Consent... Pet Owners' Complaints
Unauthorized Photos Posted on Instagram and Other SNS
Pet Owners "Taking Photos Without Permission Is Rude" Outraged
Experts "Pets Should Be Respected as Living Beings with Dignity"

Citizens are taking a walk with their pets at World Cup Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] # Office worker A (27) recently had an unpleasant experience while walking their dog. A stranger took photos of their dog without permission. A said, "Someone took pictures of my dog without permission, and it almost led to a fight," adding, "When I demanded they delete the photos immediately, they got angry, saying, 'I just took them because the dog is cute, you're overreacting.'" They expressed frustration, saying, "I've heard from others that their pet photos appeared on someone else's blog without consent. I don't understand why people use photos of others' dogs without permission."

The number of pet owners is steadily increasing. According to the "2018 Pet Ownership Status and Public Awareness Survey Report" released by the Korea Pet Food Association, out of 20 million households in South Korea, 5.58 million households own pets. The number of pet dogs increased by 140,000 from 6.66 million last year to 6.8 million this year. The estimated number of pet cats is about 1.91 million.

However, pet etiquette has not kept pace with the growing number of pet owners. There are people who take photos of others' dogs or cats without consent, causing complaints among pet owners. Most often, this happens because the animals are considered cute, leading to petting or unauthorized photography.

Some dogs become startled or anxious due to noises made during photo sessions, which can cause various stresses. Additionally, some people treat pet owners who ask for photos to be deleted as overly sensitive.

In particular, some upload these photos of pets taken without permission to their Facebook, Instagram, or other social media accounts, which sometimes leads to disputes when the pet owners discover them later.

Pug breed puppy [Image source=Yonhap News]

Recently, on a popular mom caf? and 'GangsaMo' (Gangajireul Saranghaneun Moim, a large pet lovers' community), posts complaining about such issues have been continuously posted with titles like "Why do people take photos of others' dogs?", "I met really rude people while walking my dog," and "Please don't steal photos of others' pets."

One member who owns a dog said, "My dog is sensitive, but a child and their guardian kept coming back and forth taking pictures. Do you think that's appropriate behavior?" They raised their voice, saying, "They probably did it because the dog is cute, but it causes stress to the pet."

They continued, "If it were a real child, would they take pictures so freely? Their own child isn't the only precious one," and appealed, "To pet owners, dogs are like children, so please show some consideration."

Another member said, "I have a pet cat. On the way to the vet, I heard a shutter sound and looked over to see someone taking pictures because they thought my cat was cute," adding, "Honestly, even if you ask for permission, I would say no, so how can you just take pictures without asking? When I asked them to delete the photos, they treated me like I was being overly sensitive, which made me very angry."

Citizens and dogs are taking a walk at Yongjimot (Lake Park) in Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Some argue that dogs and cats should have portrait rights as well. This is because cases of unauthorized use of photos for not only private but also commercial purposes have increased.

B, a 20-something office worker, said, "Dogs and cats can't speak, but I think many of them don't like having their photos taken," and added, "I think there should be something like 'dog portrait rights' instead of just portrait rights."

Portrait rights refer to the right not to have one's face or likeness photographed or published without permission. However, pets do not have portrait rights, which are limited to humans.

Nonetheless, uploading photos of others' pets on social media without permission may be punishable under laws related to unauthorized use of personal property, copyright infringement, defamation, and other violations?not under portrait rights. This means it is illegal to photograph and use others' property without consent.

Copyright infringement can result in criminal penalties of up to five years in prison or fines up to 50 million won, as well as civil liabilities. For online posts, reports can lead to removal of the content or fines.

Experts point out that although the number of pet-owning households has increased, awareness regarding this issue remains stagnant. Professor Kim Seongho of the Department of Social Welfare at Seongseo University told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "Just as 'petiquette' dictates not to touch others' dogs carelessly, the same applies to taking photos. Taking pictures without the owner's permission is problematic."

He added, "Pets are living beings with dignity and deserve respect," emphasizing, "Although portrait rights are currently limited to humans, their scope should gradually expand."