Recently there is a lot of controversy about Petiquette. ‘Petiquette’ is a new word that’s come up with the increase of companion animals, mostly dogs, and following accidents with pets. ‘Petiquette’ is a combination of two words, ‘Pet’ and ‘Etiquette’. As you guessed it, this means etiquette that you should have as a pet owner. Do you have a pet? Through a little effort, we can make a better pet culture. Let’s find out more about petiquette.
● Current Status of Dog Bites
According to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), the number of incidents of a persons bitten by a dog has reached 3,657 cases in the last three years (2015.1.1.~ 2017.9.30.). In case of children under 14 years old, areas bitten by dogs are 39.7% for face, 30.8% for hands, and 16.2% for legs. When it comes to teenagers and adults, it is 40.2% for hands, 24.0% for face, and 19.4% for legs. Children’s faces are closer to dogs than hands or legs because they have low height. If the bite on the face is serious, children may need a series of plastic surgery. As you can see, dog biting is a problem and something you should not take lightly. To prevent incidents, we need citizenship such as Petiquette.
● What Kind of Petiqutte Is There?
-Poop bags: It is a common sense that the owners of the animal must clean up their pet’s waste. However, as we walk through the streets, we can see the excrement of animals frequently. Not to damage others, you should always take a poop bag.
-Leash manners: Recently, the cases of dog bites have become a big issue, and the necessity to use a leash is considered important. Pet’s owners can think their pets are always very lovely, but it can be the object of fear to someone. Therefore, if your dog is too aggressive to other people, you must prevent accidents that may happen to other people and dogs by putting a leash on your dog.
-Observance of a restricted area: You may have seen signs posted on certain places that say, "No animals allowed". For example, in the case of restaurants, if the dog's hair gets into the food, hygiene problems can occur. Also, when a dog enters to the crop fields, the crops can be ruined. That sign may be unpleasant to the owners of the pet, but they should be careful.
● New Law Comes with the Petiquette
1. New Policy about Walking Your Dog
Gyeonggi-do announced that dogs over 15kg must wear a muzzle during their walk. A first offense carries a fine of 100,000 won, second is 200,000 won, and third is 500,000 won. This law caused lots of arguments about actual effectiveness because aggression of dog does not depend on the weight, considering small dogs can also hurt people. Common public opinion is that this law clearly does not understand dogs. It says all dogs have the potential to bite a person. However, what we should be careful of is that dogs that actually bite a person may have rabies, though not all of them. For these reasons, a pet registration system is recommended. Pet registration is a system that requires pets over three months old should to be registered at the city. Once you register, a microchip will be attached to your pet. Through microchips, we can check the information of a dog and owner such as whether a dog has bitten people and took antirabies serum injection annually or not.
2. Pet Paparazzi
Pet paparazzi is a policy to give a reward to the person who reports if a pet owner does not observe the pet law. This will be introduced in March next year. The pet owner should pay more attention because they might be reported to the police whenever and wherever. However, there is a criticism about the law’s ineffectiveness. In order to make a report, it is required to identify personal information such as the name and address of the pet owner along with the photographs taken on the spot. However, it is not easy in reality. Experts say that prior to enforcing the punishment system, a ‘civic awareness growth’ appeal should be preceed. Even if a new law appears, most people do not know or observe these laws. Thus, rather than strengthening the punishment, it must be a priority to change the civic awareness, so that people could be aware of the punishment. In order to do so, it is necessary to guide laws and regulations in local governments before the system is activated.
● All things that you should know about dog bites.
1. Among the dog-bitten people, 64.0% of people have lacerations and 23.4% of people have bruises from dog bites. If you have laceration by dog, you can get infection by hidden virus inside of dog’s mouth such as Pasteurella, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, and Moraxella spp.
2. First aid when the dog bites you
- First, clean wounded area under running water. Second, if you are bleeding a lot, press wounded area with sterilized gauze or towel. Third, when wounded area is swollen, use ice packs. Fourth, go to the hospital to check if infected or not, and take professional treatment.
3. Caution for dog bite
- Although all of first aid is important, the best way to stay healthy is to not get bitten by a dog. In order to prevent it, do not touch the dog while he is eating or feeding the baby. In addition, don’t approach a wild dog. You never know if he has high aggression or is infected. When the dog shows aggression to you, do not run, do not shout, stand still where you are, and avoid eye contact with dog. If you are with the child, do not let the child to hang around with the dog without your supervision.
So far, we have learned a lot about what the Petiquette is. As you have seen in this article, the debate about Petiquette has been continuing recently. In order to solve these problems, we must try to make better legislation considering all the ways in which as many people as possible can agree. In addition, not only the owners of the pet, but also everyone should create the Petiquette culture. Why don’t we understand each other and make concessions to make a better pet culture?
Kim Hyun-ji, Bang Do-won, Reporters