[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A veterinary hospital in Gwangju Metropolitan City, which was embroiled in a 'animal abuse' controversy after spraying a toilet deodorizer on a dog that had just undergone surgery, has filed a complaint with the police, claiming that the dog owner damaged their reputation.
On the 19th, the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju announced that they have received a complaint from the veterinary hospital alleging internet defamation and obstruction of business, and are currently investigating.
The complainants are four people including the veterinary hospital's veterinarian and veterinary technicians, who submitted the complaint on the 3rd, stating that "the dog owner posted false and exaggerated content on social media."
They added, "The dog owner encouraged the post to be spread hundreds and thousands of times on other social media platforms as if it were an objective fact, demanded tens of millions of won, and threatened us, making it unbearable and even threatening our daily lives."
They also stated the reason for the complaint, saying, "Due to the false post, we have lost our reputation as veterinarians and the hospital has suffered damage."
Earlier, on the 3rd, a netizen named A revealed the abuse at a veterinary hospital, saying, "One of my pets passed away before waking up from anesthesia, unable to even close its eyes."
The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released by A showed the hospital staff spraying Febreze, a toilet deodorizer, and cosmetics on the face of the dog lying down after surgery, saying "It smells," while laughing.
The dog owner brought the pet back from the hospital for cremation after it died during recovery following surgery, noticed a strange smell coming from the dog's body, and discovered this fact by checking the hospital's CCTV footage.
Following the animal abuse controversy, the hospital apologized via social media, stating, "It was an action intended to pay more attention during the deceased pet's anesthesia recovery process, not an act of abuse," and "We apologize for using inappropriate products to remove the inflammation odor. We will suspend operations for a while."
However, the dog owner refuted, saying, "The hospital did not contact me directly to apologize. They only posted an apology on an internet cafe after the issue escalated." Currently, the veterinary hospital has been reported by Nam-gu, Gwangju, and some netizens. The police have booked the hospital's veterinarian and others on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act and are investigating.
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