"Dog Owner Ignored Neighbors' Requests to Leash Dog... Ultimately Bit a 5-Year-Old Girl"

Dog Without Leash Causes 4 Weeks of Injury
60s Female Owner Sentenced to Prison

A woman in her 60s was sentenced to imprisonment and taken into custody by the court on charges of causing injury after ignoring a neighbor's request to tie up her Pungsan dogs when her granddaughter visited.

On the 7th, Judge Park Hyunjin of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 2, presiding alone, sentenced Ms. A (67, female), who was charged with injury due to gross negligence, to one year in prison, according to Yonhap News. Ms. A was taken into custody immediately following the sentence.

This photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on May 8 of last year. Among the four Pungsan dogs that escaped from Ms. A’s breeding site, one bit the legs of a neighbor’s granddaughter, Ms. B (5), causing injuries that required more than four weeks of treatment, leading to the charges.

It is reported that Ms. A keeps five Pungsan dogs at her home in Hoengseong County. It was also confirmed that two days before the accident, on May 6, the granddaughter’s grandparents contacted another neighbor, Mr. C, requesting that the dogs be tied up as they were planning to visit the villa located just below Ms. A’s house with the children to play.

However, Ms. A ignored the specific request from the victim’s side and left the Pungsan dogs unattended. The court also judged that Ms. A neglected her duty of care to prevent dog bite accidents by failing to fix the entrance gate of the dog breeding site or to have the dogs wear leashes and muzzles.

Judge Park Hyunjin stated, “While raising Pungsan dogs, a type of hunting dog and a medium-large breed, Ms. A did not properly restrain the dogs, causing inconvenience to nearby residents. It is recognized that despite receiving a specific request, she failed to fulfill her duty of care, resulting in the accident.”

He added, “Ms. B’s wounds are deep, leaving disabilities and psychological aftereffects, requiring ongoing treatment and procedures. However, considering that a father dog bit and stopped the attacking dog, preventing greater harm, the sentence was determined accordingly.”

Meanwhile, according to the National Fire Agency, dog bite incidents have been recorded at over 2,000 cases annually, with 2,114 cases in 2020, 2,154 in 2019, and 2,368 in 2018. Since incidents tend to concentrate between May and August when outdoor activities increase, special caution is necessary.