Ms. Jung – first name unknown– is an everyday hero for animal welfare. The South Korean woman runs a shelter in her country that is very different to your average shelter, reportsThe Dodo.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
According to Ek Park, founder of the rescue organizationFree Korean Dogs, Ms. Jung is an incredible rescue volunteer:
She's been rescuing dogs her whole life, but 20 years ago she got heavily involved.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
In Ms. Jung's shelter, dogs live in complete freedom and can come and go as they please, even in her house. Park explained that there are between 150 and 200 dogs living with her. The 60-year-old woman suffers from certain health problems, but she still puts her dogs' needs first.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
There is no exclusivity. All dogs are welcome at Ms. Jung's, but she prioritizes old and sick dogs when it comes to treatment. Sometimes she cannot pay the veterinarian fees, but things always seem to work out in the end. All she cares about is the well-being of her rescued dogs.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
But Ms. Junghas another big responsibility - getting families to adopt the dogs. In South Korea, there is an overpopulation of needy dogs, and not all of them can be saved. In order to keep rescuing as many dogs as possible, she also has to get the healthy pups into homes as quickly as possible.
Source : Manchul Kim
In this country, a dog's life is not an enviable one. One of the most important problems is the consumption of dog meat. There are 17 000 meat farms, and two million pups are massacred each year to be eaten.
Source : Manchul Kim
Puppy factories - where puppies are "produced" - are also plentiful, as the government recently announced that it will aid these millsfinancially.
Source : Free Korean DogsAbandonment increases the stray population, and strays are the easiest targets for slaughter. The accumulation of all these problems makes adoption very difficult. There are more dogs than families who want dogs in South Korea.Park continued:
People just don't like to adopt dogs from meat farms. In general, people in Korea see 'pet' dogs as dogs [who are] small, cute and pretty. But most dogs rescued from a dog meat farm or markets are big dogs.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
The associations then look for families in other countries. Park's organization specializes in sending meat farm dogs from South Korea to the United States. 11 pups arrived in New York in December, most recently.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
In the space of one year, Park and Ms. Jung have saved over 200 dogs, all sterilized and vaccinated before their departure. Ms. Jung also dresses the dogs in adorable clothes before saying goodbye.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
Most of the senior dogs stay with her, but the younger and more socialized pups are put up for adoption. Luckily, they are usually adopted within the space of a few days upon arrival in the U.S.
Source : Free Korean Dogs
If you would like to support Ms. Jung and her incredible, heroic and selfless work, click here and make a donation so that she can continue rescuing dogs and giving them a second chance at life.
H/t: The Dodo
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