Chinese Woman Miscarried After Being Startled by Unleashed Dog... Court Orders Owner to Pay 17 Million Won Compensation

Chinese Pregnant Woman Attacked by Leash-Free Dog While Receiving Delivery, Resulting in Miscarriage
Dog Owner Says "Victim Should Have Been Careful"... Court Recognizes Compensation Claim

A woman in China who had a difficult pregnancy through in vitro fertilization (IVF) suffered a miscarriage after being startled by a dog running toward her. On the 19th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, "Earlier this year, in an apartment complex in Shanghai, a pregnant woman named Yan (41), who was walking around her home to receive a delivery, was suddenly approached by a Golden Retriever without a leash," sharing the story.

At the time, Yan was so startled that she stepped back and injured her waist, later feeling abnormalities in her lower back and abdomen. She rested at the hospital late that night, but the next morning, doctors could not detect the fetal heartbeat. At 15 weeks pregnant, she realized she had lost the baby and was devastated. Yan said, "After the dog scared me, I felt pain in my abdomen and went to the hospital, but unfortunately, I could not save the baby. It took me three years of IVF treatments to conceive, and I went through a really difficult time, but now I have miscarried. It breaks my heart," expressing her frustration.

Following the incident, Yan filed a lawsuit against the dog's owner. The owner admitted that the Golden Retriever was not leashed at the time of the accident but claimed it was a service dog for a visually impaired person and would not harm anyone. He even argued that Yan should have been more careful, knowing the risks of pregnancy through IVF, shifting the responsibility onto her.

In response, the court ruled in favor of Yan and ordered the owner to pay 90,000 yuan (approximately 16.93 million KRW) for the physical and emotional distress caused. According to China's Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, pets must be leashed in public places. Violations can result in fines up to 200 yuan (about 30,000 KRW), and if a pet injures someone, the owner is legally responsible for damages. The court also recognized that it was entirely reasonable for a woman 15 weeks pregnant to walk near her home and held the owner accountable for not leashing the dog.

This case attracted significant attention on China's social networking service Weibo, with over 110 million views. Netizens criticized the owner, saying, "I am shocked that the owner was indifferent even though their dog ran at a pregnant woman," expressing widespread condemnation.