A dozen dogs from South Korea was rescued by animal shelters in Michigan after the report of a global animal protection organization saying that they were raised to be sold as pets and slaughtered for the meat.
Beth Wellman, the director of the non-profit organization Humane Society of Midland County, said that they took five to 10 dogs. She added that they are considering dogs as pets and it is hard to think of them as anything other than that. The dogs will arrive in Michigan on Tuesday and five more of the dogs will head to Grand Rapids.
Wellman said that their biggest concerns were the conditions in which the dogs are kept and the process of how they are killed. These methods normally relate to traditions and superstitions which dictates the process of how they needed to be prepared.
According to the Michigan Humane Society, they don't expect to receive any of the rescued dogs from South Korea. The animal shelter adopts animals in the southeast part of the state.
Last week, the Humane Society International (HIS) announced that 200 dogs and puppies from a Hongseong, South Korean farm was rescued and around 160 of the dogs will go to Canada. The dogs will temporarily stay in a shelter in Cambridge and then they will be sent to Montreal. The rescued dogs included Chihuahuas, corgis, huskies, jindos, Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, and French bulldogs. The group said that the dogs were rescued from a farm which was closed.
Ewa Demianowicz, of the HIS, said that the dogs have been surviving in appalling conditions, in barren, filthy cages, with inadequate food and water and almost no veterinary care or human contact. She added that some of the dogs have never left their cramped cages where they have been confined. The group said that the dogs that were unlucky enough not to be sold will go to slaughterhouses.
HIS said that most South Koreans do not consume dog meat. The tradition of eating dog meat has declined especially among the young generation of South Koreans. A survey found that 70 percent of South Koreans do not eat dog meat. The group said that the dog farm closed because they find the business unprofitable.
Bosintang is a dog soup consumed during the Bok days of summer in July and August. Some South Koreans eat the soup based on tradition. The group said that the dogs are often killed by electrocution or by hanging.
