Dogs retrieved from a property in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province on Sunday (Pohang city council)
What began three years ago as one man's solitary life with two dogs in a small apartment in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, devolved into a distressing case of animal neglect that left a neighborhood in turmoil and 50 dogs desperate for rescue.
Over the past week, residents began lodging complaints about the incessant barking and foul odor emanating from the unit, which one neighbor likened to the scent of "a rotting corpse."
The barking, residents said, was so frequent and loud that neighbors wondered about the number of dogs kept in the man's apartment.
When law enforcement, along with local animal shelter staff, visited the apartment on Sunday, the scene that awaited them was grimmer than expected -- 50 severely neglected Shih Tzus were crammed into the 66-square-meter apartment, one of which had died.
The man living there, in his 40s, had only two dogs when he first moved into the apartment, his neighbors said. The dogs were, however, not neutered, leading to unchecked breeding and the dramatic increase in their numbers over time.
The 49 surviving dogs were immediately relocated to a local animal shelter, but one more died shortly afterward. Despite their ordeal, the remaining dogs are reportedly in good health.
The dogs’ owner was not present during the discovery and subsequent rescue operation. He is currently under investigation, with authorities considering animal abuse charges.
Under South Korea's Animal Protection Act, acts of animal cruelty or abuse can lead to a maximum prison sentence of three years or a fine of 30 million won ($23,000).
But due to ambiguities within the law's language and a shortage of officials proactive in its enforcement, cases of animal hoarding and neglect, such as this one, often go unpunished. As it stands, only explicit physical abuse leading to injury or death is typically prosecuted.
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