Dogs bred to be eaten take shelter in S. Florida

They are among 200 removed from South Korean farm

DANIA BEACH — Two hundred dogs that were bred to be eaten in South Korea are instead in shelters across the U.S.

Ten of the dogs arrived Thursday at the Humane Society of Broward County, where they may be ready for adoption as soon as next week.

“Some of these dogs may not have been socialized,” said shelter spokeswoman Cherie Wachter. “Some are really nervous, and some are more outgoing. It’s going to take special families that will want to open their heart and their home to these pets.”

She pointed to a happy, whitehaired Pomeranian pup.

“Someone was going to eat this dog,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

The dogs, ranging in age from six months to one year, were on a farm in the Gangwon province, where the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held.

Experts estimate up to 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for consumption every year in South Korea.

Some family pets wind up at dog

meat farms in South Korea because there are no pet shelters for animals to be surrendered, Wachter said.

In the past two years, Humane Society International has removed 770 dogs from that country, helping six dog meat farmers transition into other lines of work.

The other 190 dogs are going to shelters in Tampa, Vero Beach, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C., as well as Canada and the United Kingdom.

Wachter and other staff drove to a shelter in Vero Beach early Thursday to pick up 10 of the canines, including a matted cocker spaniel and a fawn-colored Corgi mix.

Shelter staff and volunteers fawned over the new arrivals, showering them with affection and making sure each had food and water.

“We’ll give them some time to rest,” Wachter said. “It’s 12,500 miles from South Korea to here. It was a very long trip for these dogs. They flew 18 hours to get here.”

The dogs will be kept together and given baths and vaccinations.

“They’re going to need a lot of TLC,” Wachter said. “These dogs just want to be loved. They want to be part of a family.”

CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Humane Society of Broward County employee Christopher Tinder helps one of 10 dogs brought to the Humane Society in Dania Beach after they were rescued from a dog farm in South Korea.

CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER More than 200 dogs being bred for human consumption in South Korea have been rescued and flown to shelters.