With big, lumbering strides, a Japanese mastiff named Snout chased a tennis ball across the grass Monday at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, pausing his frolic to bite at a falling leaf.
It was all so new for Snout, who, until recently, had never played ball or felt the grass beneath his paws. He’d never worn a collar, walked on a leash or curled up on a soft blanket. He spent his days in an outdoor wire cage at a South Korean dog meat farm, destined to be someone’s dinner.
But last month, Humane Society International rescued Snout and 102 other dogs from the farm, which is one of more than 17,000 dog meat farms in South Korea. Altogether, the farms breed more than 2 million dogs a year for people to eat, according to South Korea’s Ministry of the Environment. The meat is considered a delicacy.
The rescued Korean dogs, mostly Japanese mastiffs (also known as Tosas, a large breed that weighs 80 to 130 pounds), plus a few small-breed Jindo mixes, were monitored overseas for about a month while receiving medical treatment and vaccinations before Humane Society International flew them to the United States.
“The first time we saw the dogs, it was really shocking,” Kelly O’Meara, Humane Society International’s director of companion animals and engagement, said in a press release. “They were clearly terrified, but once they realized we weren’t there to hurt them, their tails started wagging, eager for the slightest show of affection. They have so much love to give, it’s appalling to think they were destined to be butchered for their meat.”
This month, the Vancouver shelter welcomed 58 of the dogs. Twenty five will be put up for adoption starting Oct. 10. The remaining 33 dogs have been placed with partnering shelters throughout Washington, including in Wenatchee, Tacoma, Everett and Walla Walla. Shelters in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco received the 45 other dogs rescued during the operation.
In Vancouver, teams of staff members and volunteers are helping the dogs adapt to their new surroundings and prepare for adoption. They’re teaching the dogs to walk on a leash and are taking the first steps toward house training.
“They’re discovering a great, brand-new world full of nice people,” Humane Society for Southwest Washington President Stacey Graham said during Monday’s press conference at the East Vancouver shelter, 1100 N.E. 192nd Ave.
All of the dogs are young, ranging from 6 months to 2 years old. They have been spayed or neutered and microchipped and are in “remarkable” health, considering the conditions they’d been in, said Dr. Lauren Overman, the shelter’s managing veterinarian.
Although initially fearful of new experiences, the dogs have been making tremendous progress and are responding well to human affection and treats, said Lisa Feder, Humane Society for Southwest Washington’s adoption director. Eager to explore, the dogs are excitable, jumpy and want to put everything in their mouths, just like human babies. Most are underweight. Some have scars and bite wounds from other dogs. Some won’t walk on a leash yet and need to be carried everywhere, Feder said.
The mastiffs are curiously quiet — there was nary a woof to be heard Monday in their row of concrete kennels inside the shelter, where they wagged their tails and pressed their big, black muzzles against the bars to lick a visitor’s fingers.
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington expects the dogs to be ready for adoption sometime after Oct. 15. Potential adoptive families will be closely screened to ensure the dogs are not returned to the shelter. It is seeking people who own rather than rent their homes because there’s a good possibility of property destruction — for these dogs, everything is a toy or food, staff members said. The dogs need securely fenced yards and a home with a quiet, structured routine with no young children or other dogs. They need patient, loving, experienced owners who are willing to take on the challenge of house training and socializing an adult dog.
This was Humane Society International’s third rescue as part of its ongoing effort to fight the dog meat trade throughout Asia by convincing farm owners to switch to a humane trade in crop growing and closing the gap in public perception between a “pet dog” versus a “meat dog.” To date, the agency has brought 186 dogs to the United States for adoption.
To apply to adopt one of the Korean rescue dogs — or any other animal — fill out an application online at southwesthumane.org or in the shelter’s lobby. All applicants will be contacted within 48 hours. The Korean dogs are currently not available to meet the public.
