Is 'Looking at Your Phone' During Walks with Your Dog a Problem? [Kim Suwan's Animal Report]

Some Pet Owners Neglect Duty of Care During Walks with Dogs, Causing Frowns
Actual Accidents Occur... Dog Owners Fined
Experts Warn "Neglecting Pets While Using Mobile Phones During Walks"

Citizens are taking a walk with their pets at Namsangol Hanok Village in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] #Pet owner and office worker Kim (27) expressed frustration with some dog owners who use their mobile phones while walking their dogs. Kim said, "I always focus completely when I go out with my dog," adding, "Even with such attention, unexpected situations sometimes occur, mostly caused by people who are on their phones and fail to control their own dogs." She continued, "It’s upsetting because my dog often suffers in these cases," and recalled, "Once, my dog was bitten by another dog and had to undergo emergency surgery. The other party apologized but said, 'These things can happen.' There should be a law that prohibits using mobile phones while walking dogs," she vented.

#Office worker Lee (30) recently experienced a shocking incident in an apartment complex. A dog owner walking multiple dogs lost control of one dog while using a mobile phone. He said, "There was a person walking two dogs who was only looking at their smartphone. Eventually, they lost one dog," raising his voice, "When I asked the owner what if the dog ran into the road and a child got hurt, they just gave a curt reply saying they would be more careful next time." He added, "It happened near a playground, and if a child had been bitten, it could have led to a serious accident," and "Even people like me who like dogs were shocked; I wonder how angry people who are afraid of dogs must be."

Conflicts between pet owners and non-pet owners continue due to cases where owners fail to fulfill their duty of care, such as using mobile phones while walking their dogs. Criticism is especially strong among pet owners toward those who do not focus on their dogs.

Experts warn that using mobile phones during walks can lead to serious accidents, including personal injury.

Recently, on 'GangsaMo' (Gangajireul Saranghaneun Moim), the largest pet-related online community, and various online forums, posts urging restraint in mobile phone use during dog walks have been posted one after another, such as "Please leave your phone at home when walking your dog," "Angry about bad manners during dog walks," and "Let's not look at our phones while walking."

It is pointed out that owners who do not focus on walking their dogs cause not only the risk of dog bites but also various accidents.

One member said, "I also have a dog, but please follow the basics when walking. I've witnessed dangerous moments more than once," and criticized, "If you’re just going to look at your phone, I don’t understand why you brought a dog out. I really don’t get how someone who can’t even focus for that short time is raising a dog. Shouldn’t you carefully watch what your dog is doing? Unless it’s an emergency, leave your phone at home when you go out every day." He added, "I don’t understand why well-behaved pet owners have to get blamed because of some inconsiderate people."

A writer who identified as a non-pet owner vented, "I was walking in a park while heavily pregnant, and there was an owner who didn’t look at their dog but only at their phone. The dog chased me, but the owner didn’t stop it. Where is such bad manners from?"

In fact, last June, on a walking trail in Ulju-gun, Ulsan City, an owner A who was walking a 9kg dog let the dog off the leash and was looking at their phone when the dog ran at a passerby B, causing serious injury.

At that time, B, startled by the dog, fell and was injured with a wrist fracture requiring eight weeks of treatment. The owner was fined.

A foreigner is walking with a pet dog on a street in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

As cases of damage caused by pet owners’ negligence continue, various manuals for safe walks with pets have appeared. The famous American animal media Dogster introduced five reasons to turn off smartphones while walking pets.

According to the media, the reasons include △for safety △to consider people around △to give enough attention to lonely pets △to show the true love of pet owners for their pets △for a change of mood.

It is also pointed out that owners focusing on their smartphones while their dogs are in front of them can cause anxiety and depression in the dogs.

According to the British media Daily Mail, the cause of problematic behaviors such as barking to get the owner’s attention is the owner’s smartphone addiction. It recommended keeping smartphones away for dogs who look at their owners 24 hours a day.

The report cited a survey by the UK campaign group 'Digital Detox,' which found that an adult spends an average of 9 hours and 30 minutes a day on their smartphone, more than sleeping time. As a result, dogs feel extreme anxiety while their owners focus on their smartphones.

Animal nurse Amber Pickworth pointed out, "People may think they are having a good time while using their smartphones during walks, but dogs feel anxious because their owner is their everything."

Experts also expressed concern about owners neglecting their dogs by looking at their phones during walks. Animal trainer Kang Hyungwook emphasized in a 'Petiquette' lecture at a 'Pet Culture Class' held at a center, "You should not neglect your dog while using your phone during walks," adding, "There are cases where the owner’s mistakes lead to problems. You must walk with responsibility."

He continued, "Once, I saw a dog sniffing a street tree while the owner was looking at their phone with a long leash," adding, "(It looked very dangerous) so I deliberately shortened the leash like skipping rope and passed by."

There are also expert opinions that mandatory education should be implemented to raise pet owners’ responsibility.

Lee Wonbok, head of the Korea Animal Protection Association, said, "It is important for pet owners to be considerate of others during walks," pointing out, "Problems arise because this aspect is still insufficient." He suggested, "For a mature pet culture in Korea, measures such as allowing pet owners to receive education annually are necessary."