On September 1, Cheonan Dongnam Police Station announced that it had requested a pretrial detention warrant for a man in his 50s, identified as A, on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act for abusing his pet dog by tying it to an electric bicycle and causing its death.
A is accused of tying "Pasha," a large Collie breed dog, to an electric bicycle and riding at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour for more than 30 minutes around 7:52 p.m. on August 22 on the Cheonancheon promenade in Sinbu-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. As a result, the dog died. Citizens who witnessed the dog being dragged by the electric bicycle stopped A and reported the incident to the police and Cheonan City Hall.
The rescued dog died while being transported to an animal protection center. Investigations suggest that the choke chain (a training collar) continuously compressed the dog's neck, causing breathing difficulties and heat exhaustion.
Based on video footage provided by witnesses and the condition of the deceased dog, the police concluded that the owner had killed the dog in a cruel manner. They also determined that A had neglected and abused two dogs kept in poor conditions on the rooftop of a mixed-use building.
A police official told Yonhap News Agency, "A recently gave away a Collie breed dog to someone in another region, and we have obtained testimony from the recipient that the dog's health and physical condition were poor, raising suspicions of abuse." In response, A reportedly denied the charges, stating, "I only wanted to exercise the dog because it was overweight. I had no intention of killing it."
On the online platform operated by the social cooperative "Parti," a petition titled "Calling for Severe Punishment in the Pasha Case" has been ongoing since August 28. As of 8 a.m. on September 2, more than 43,000 people had participated.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
