Kang Hyung-wook Says Pet Owners Develop Disgust... Do They Only Raise Pets Without Cleaning Up Their Waste? [Hello? Animal]

Abandoned Dogs on Walking Paths and Apartment Flower Beds
Sometimes Left in Park Dog Waste Bag Bins
"Etiquette for Pet Owners Still Lacking"

Pet dog. Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It is not uncommon to see dog waste left unattended on walking trails or in parks. While it is fortunate if someone notices it, there are times when people unknowingly step on it and find themselves in an awkward situation. The behavior of owners who do not follow basic pet etiquette often unfairly leads to criticism directed at the animals themselves.

Animal trainer Kang Hyungwook revealed that he frequently encounters dog owners who do not clean up their dogs’ waste even at the center he runs. On the 12th, on the YouTube channel 'Bodeum TV,' he said, "At our training center, we are quite strict about this. We give hints and impose sanctions like 'Raise your dog well,' 'Hold the leash properly,' and 'Clean up the poop well.' Nevertheless, there are still people who do not clean up. Some even urinate in the elevator and just leave," he confessed.

Once, Kang Hyungwook reviewed CCTV footage to find out who had not cleaned up dog waste. He said, "When I told one owner, 'Your dog pooped and left, but you probably didn’t see it,' they got flustered and angrily said, 'It wasn’t our dog,'" adding, "I considered revealing the black box footage to confront them, but I just said, 'I must have misunderstood,' and let it go. About 90% of the time, owners don’t even know if their dog pooped or did anything."

He further pointed out, "If you bring your dog out, you should focus on your dog, but they don’t. They don’t know what their dog is doing or even that it’s defecating." He added, "You might say, 'It only happens once a week,' but it actually happens several times a week. Watching CCTV is bothersome and exhausting, and it also breeds hatred and resentment toward humans, so I try to avoid watching it," he revealed.

A dog taking a walk. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Animal Protection Act, if pet owners do not immediately collect their pets’ excrement in public places and leave it unattended, they may be fined up to 100,000 KRW. Since dogs often defecate during walks due to increased bowel movement, owners must always carry waste bags during walks. In the case of urine, if it is deposited in shared indoor spaces such as elevators or staircases in apartment buildings, or on benches or chairs where people lie down or sit, it must be cleaned up.

However, it is common to find dog waste on walking trails and apartment flower beds. It is also noticeable that some owners walk while only looking at their phones or pay no attention to their dogs, just going their own way. Even people who love animals tend to frown when they see dog waste on the street.

Even when owners collect their dogs’ waste, there are many cases where they dispose of it in external trash bins and leave. For example, a local park installed waste bag dispensers for owners who forgot to bring bags, but some unscrupulous people still left dog waste there. If you collect your dog’s waste, you must take it home and flush it down the toilet, and the waste bag should be disposed of in a designated volume-based waste bag.

Kim, a 30-something office worker who owns a dog, said, "If the dog is family, cleaning up after it is also the family’s responsibility. If you only keep the dog because it’s cute but don’t clean up its waste, you don’t deserve to be an owner." There are calls for a mature pet culture to be established alongside the growing awareness of animal rights.

Lee Wonbok, head of the Korea Animal Protection Alliance, said, "It is welcome that the number of pet owners is rapidly increasing and more people are advocating for animal rights, but many owners behave rudely by not cleaning up after their pets in public places due to laziness or mistakes," adding, "The culture of observing basic etiquette while raising animals is still lacking."

He continued, "Owners have the responsibility to prevent socially problematic incidents caused by their pets from recurring. Most accidents involving pets are due to owners’ negligence," and said, "If such behavior continues, negative perceptions of pets will accumulate. This contradicts the advocacy for animal rights."