Dozens of dogs are settling in at our care and rehabilitation center in Maryland after arriving last week from an illegal dog meat farm in South Korea. Members of our staff accompanied them on their flight, greeted them at JFK International Airport, rode with them to our rehabilitation center in Maryland, and witnessed the moments they took their first steps out of their crates, their first steps into a new life.
All 50 dogs who have arrived in the U.S. are receiving veterinary and behavioral treatment before moving to shelter and rescue placement partners for adoption. Seventeen additional dogs—mother dogs and puppies—will follow once they are old enough to fly. Until then, they are recovering at a shelter in Cheongju, South Korea.
Korean American actor and advocate Daniel Henney—who has been such a wonderful supporter of our campaign to end the dog meat industry in South Korea for many years—joined our team on the ground in South Korea to help us with the rescue. (His golden retriever, Juliette, was one of the dogs we rescued from a dog meat farm in 2020.) Visibly moved by the scenes of suffering at the farm, particularly the slaughter area where untold numbers of dogs had met a bloody end directly in front of terrified cage mates, he reflected on how witnessing such trauma must have exacerbated an already deeply distressing situation for these dogs.
“It was incredibly challenging to see the suffering of these dogs who have endured so much,” Henney said, adding that he’s looking forward to following their journey as they find homes in the United States and “put the dog meat industry behind them.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
