"Don't Buy, Adopt" Media Exposure of Pet Shops: Is There a Problem? [Kim Gayeon's Perspective Twist]

Expansion of Companion Culture and Animal Rights Protection Movements... Controversies Surrounding Pet Shops Persist
2 out of 10 Pet Owners "Purchase Pets from Pet Shops"
Restrictions on Pet Sales in Countries Like Germany

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] As the number of households raising companion animals increases every year and companion culture spreads, awareness of animal rights is also rising. Amid the growing content featuring companion animals, posts about pet shop adoptions through YouTube broadcasts and SNS are flooding in, becoming a social issue. Pet shops are criticized for selling companion animals as mere products without separate education or procedures, which may promote disregard for life.

Recently, as households with companion animals such as 'Petfamjok', 'Dingpetjok', and 'Honpetjok' have established themselves as new family types, awareness of animal rights?that "animals have equal life rights as humans and have the right to avoid pain and abuse"?is spreading.

'Petfamjok' refers to pet owners who regard companion animals raised at home as family members. 'Dingpetjok' refers to dual-income couples who raise companion animals without having children, and 'Honpetjok' refers to single-person households raising companion animals.

As movements to protect animal rights become active, controversies surrounding pet shops continue. Animals sold or adopted from pet shops are mass-produced in breeding farms called 'puppy mills' or 'kitten mills.' In this process, many are produced through unethical methods such as forced mating and abuse for sale.

In particular, because young animals under three months old are mainly sold due to their popularity before becoming adult dogs or cats, and abuse such as starvation to delay growth occurs, calls for institutional restrictions are increasing.

Among citizens, voices are emerging that exposure to pet shops and companion animal sales through media should be avoided. This is because positive exposure of pet shop adoptions through various media can further encourage such problems.

Kim (27), an office worker who has been raising a companion dog for two years, expressed frustration about the continued prevalence of pet shops, saying, "How can you buy a family with money?" He added, "Pet shops, also known as puppy mills, have poor environments, and mother dogs are confined in narrow cages and abused for life, among many other problems. These irresponsibly acquired animals are abandoned every year, causing repeated issues."

Kim emphasized, "Pet shops should be abolished, but they are broadcast without any sense of problem. They are even frequently exposed on popular celebrities' SNS, but they should consider how much social influence they have. They are participating in unethical animal production and abuse processes. Please do not buy, but adopt."

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

The companion animal adoption campaign with the slogan "Don't buy, adopt" has been ongoing for years, but prejudice against abandoned animals remains serious.

According to a survey conducted last year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs targeting 5,000 pet owners, the percentage of respondents who answered "I purchased a companion animal from a pet shop" decreased by about 8 percentage points from 31.3% the previous year to 23.3%. Those who answered "I adopted an abandoned animal" accounted for only 9%. Although this is a significant increase from 3.7% in the previous year, it still represents only one in ten people.

Respondents cited reasons for reluctance to adopt abandoned animals such as "I think they might have diseases or behavioral problems" (43.1%) and "I avoid them because they are old" (16.9%).

However, when looking at actual abandoned animals, one can find everything from very young puppies and kittens to purebred cats and dogs. This is often because companion animals give birth to offspring, or owners bring them home without prior study of the animal's characteristics, toileting habits, or shedding, and then abandon them when they cannot handle them.

As a result, there are calls for pre-education for pet owners along with restrictions on animal production and sales. The perception that life can be easily purchased without any procedures is widespread, which ultimately leads to irresponsibility, abandonment, and relinquishment.

Other countries are moving toward protecting animal rights by restricting companion animal sales and requiring mandatory education before adoption.

Germany prohibits companion animal sales under the Animal Constitution. In Lower Saxony, a companion animal registration and licensing system is implemented, requiring everyone to pass a test before adopting a companion animal. Even after passing, a retest is required after one year.

In California, USA, a law has been in effect since last year allowing only non-profit animal rescue organizations' abandoned animals to be traded in pet shops, and the UK restricts the sale of dogs and cats under six months old in pet shops.

Animal rights organizations urged active interest in abandoned companion animals. 'Animal Rights Action Kara' pointed out, "Many companion animals are still being abandoned," and "On the other hand, they are still being bought and sold for money." They criticized, "Healthy and beautiful abandoned animals rescued from the streets are dying due to lack of adoption." They urged, "Please adopt abandoned animals."