A total of 196 dogs, including Golden Retrievers, Korean Jindos, Mastiffs, Terriers, Labradors, and Pomeranians, recently reached the United States. And now, they are safe from the dog meat market in South Korea. The newly arrived canines are currently searching for their loving forever abodes in the U.S., and the Humane Society International (HSI) is trying to help them out.
170 of the 196 dogs were saved from a single dog meat trade farm in South Kora, which has now been closed down in partnership between HSI and the farmers. With this, it is now the 17th dog farm that has been permanently shut down. The rest of the 26 dogs were saved earlier but couldn’t be brought to the U.S. due to the COVID-19 travel sanctions.
Until these adorable dogs find their forever homes, most of them will be taken to a temporary shelter in Maryland, which is being managed by HSI and the Humane Society of the United States. A temporary shelter will take up the rest of the dogs in Montreal. The dogs will be assessed and given necessary veterinary services before they are moved to the partner shelters.
The dog meat market in South Korea is still going strong even though an opinion poll commissioned by HSI clearly indicated that 84% of the population wouldn’t consume dog meat. Moreover, 59% even supported a legislative ban on the dog meat trade.
After the poll results were made public, farmers could clearly see where the industry was headed.
With people supporting a ban on the dog trade, the farmers are now willing to work with HSI to draft benefits for not only the dogs but also for themselves.
We hope that the South Korean government will soon take initiatives to put the dog meat industry out of business.
Image source: Jean Chung for HSI via People
