Veterinarian Addresses Fox Terrier Incident: "The Owner Lacked Responsibility"

[Suwon Ilbo= Reporter Kim Ah-hyun] Veterinarian Seol Chae-hyun commented on the recent fox terrier incident, stating "the owner appears to lack the qualifications to be a pet guardian."

On the 21st of last month, at an apartment in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, an unmuzzled fox terrier attacked a 35-month-old girl, inflicting serious injuries. The dog was previously known to have displayed aggression toward other residents, including biting a boy living in the same apartment in January.

The fox terrier's owner stated, "It was unfortunate and frustrating to see the dog wearing a muzzle for extended periods, so I only let it off the leash in areas where there were no people."

Despite the fact that an aggressively-natured fox terrier was found to have attacked a young child twice, the owner's attitude raises serious concerns.

Veterinarian Seol Chae-hyun told TBS, "The dog has aggressive tendencies, and it's the owner's mistake, but to speak somewhat on behalf of the puppy, it appeared that the dog was startled when a child suddenly appeared, and attacked in a state of surprise. However, regardless of that, the owner failed to muzzle a dog with a history of such incidents in the first place, and using a leash that can stretch and contract freely is itself wrong. From what we can see so far, the owner appears to lack the qualifications as a pet guardian."

He added, "In countries like Germany, pet owners are often required to undergo several weeks of education before keeping a dog, but Korea has no such restrictions. Pet owners should be required to receive at least several hours of such education, and because there are no such restrictions, I often see pet guardians with virtually no knowledge about dogs."

He further stated, "I do not believe that a registration system alone would be effective in preventing such incidents. A registration system can help in how to handle accidents when they occur, but to actually prevent accidents, I believe that comprehensive education for owners and raising their sense of responsibility when keeping pets—and even raising the bar for eligibility—are the ways to reduce such incidents."