Man In His 50s Who Caused His Dog's Death By Dragging It With An Electric Bicycle: Court Ruling

Suspended Prison Sentence Handed Down
Court Finds Intent and Returns Guilty Verdict

A man in his 50s who was put on trial for causing the death of his own dog by dragging it while it was tied to an electric bicycle has been given a suspended prison sentence.

On February 12, Yonhap News reported that Presiding Judge Yoon Hyejeong of the Criminal Division 3 Single-Judge Panel at the Daejeon District Court Cheonan Branch sentenced Mr. A (58), who had been indicted without detention for violating the Animal Protection Act, to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered 200 hours of community service and 40 hours of attendance at animal abuse prevention lectures.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of causing the death of his large Collie dog, "Pasha," by running for more than 30 minutes at a speed of 10 to 15 km/h with the dog hanging from an electric bicycle on the Cheonancheon Stream promenade in Sinbu-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, at around 7:52 p.m. on August 22, 2025.

Exterior view of Daejeon District Court Cheonan Branch. Yonhap News

At the time, the temperature was over 28 degrees Celsius in sweltering heat, and Pasha, tied to a choke chain (a training collar), was dragged for about an hour before collapsing with bleeding paw pads. Although Mr. A stopped his actions when citizens who found Pasha intervened, he left the dog unattended without providing any meaningful aid.

On a summer evening when daytime temperatures exceeded 32 degrees Celsius, Pasha, who had run for about an hour while tied to a collar that tightened the more force was applied, collapsed with blood coming from his paw pads and was transported to a shelter by rescuers, but ultimately died.

Along the walking path where Pasha had passed, bloodstains were left for a stretch of more than 800 meters.

Mr. A claimed that he had no intent to commit the crime, but the court found him guilty, ruling that at least conditional intent could be recognized.

Judge Yoon Hyejeong stated the grounds for conviction, saying, "On a hot summer night, if a dog is exercised while wearing a collar that tightens as the opening gets smaller, the degree of choking on the neck should have been checked regularly, but the defendant appears to have neglected such measures," and added, "It is recognized that the victim dog sat down twice, yet even water was not provided, and it ultimately died from suffocation and heatstroke."

She went on to point out, "Even after Pasha collapsed, bleeding heavily and foaming at the mouth, the defendant only argued with nearby pedestrians and did not take any rescue measures, which led to the dog’s death," adding, "Nevertheless, he denies his wrongdoing, blames others, and shows no remorse."

However, she explained the reasoning for sentencing by saying, "It is difficult to view that the crime was committed with definite intent, and the sentence was determined in consideration of the fact that this is his first offense."