TOWIE’S Pete: “I wish I could rescue every dog from the meat trade”
Reality star Pete Wicks describes his heartbreaking journey to South Korea to save 170 death-row pups
Languishing in L filthy cages in often freezing temperatures, life for millions of dogs on South Korean puppy farms is sickeningly cruel.
There are up to 17,000 dog farms in South Korea, which is the only country in the world where the animals are intensively farmed, destined for human consumption in restaurants.
SQUALID CONDITIONS
Appalled at their plight, TOWIE star Pete Wicks, 28, last month joined forces with the Humane Society International (HSI), an organisation that aims to end South Korea’s dog meat trade.
He helped save more than 170 dogs from a squalid farm near the capital, Seoul, alongside a team of animal rescuers. The animals have now been rehomed in the UK, USA and Canada.
Pete says, “Nothing can prepare you for the pain and the suffering. It was freezing cold and the cages were disgusting. The dogs had no shelter, blankets or fresh water. They were malnourished and covered in their own filth.
“Most of them are bred and have had no human contact, so they were frightened and traumatised. To keep them warm, we filled the cages with straw, and I climbed inside some of the cages to comfort them.”
Dog meat is commonly eaten in South Korea during Bok Nal – a traditional festival in July and August, where dog meat soup is made to “cool” people down on the hottest days of the year. The dogs are slaughtered by electrocution – which can take an agonising five minutes.
In a bid to stamp out this cruel practice, the HSI is helping dog meat farmers find new livelihoods, and offering financial packages to kickstart alternative cruelty-free farming businesses.
Pete says, “I love my dog Eric [a French bulldog] with all my heart. I kept thinking how dreadful it would be for him to spend even one day in a place like that. Most of the dogs there didn’t know how to behave when we arrived, but within five minutes they were wagging their tails and licking my face. I bonded with them all. If I could give every single one of them a home, I would.”
NEW HOMES
Earlier this month, 13 of the dogs Pete rescued were brought back to the UK, including Adam, a black mongrel pup, and Henry, a golden retriever, whom Pete comforted before he was transferred into a dog crate to escape the farm. Henry has since been adopted by Claire Bass, HSI’S UK Director.
Pete says, “The last time I saw Adam he was in a rusty cage. He’s an amazing dog and I’m going to do everything I can to find all the dogs a forever home.”
❛THEY’VE HAD NO HUMAN CONTACT SO WERE FRIGHTENED AND TRAUMATISED❜