After spending her first three years in a cramped cage, Harriet the Korean Jindo has been rescued.
Harriet and about 200 other dogs were saved from a dog meat farm in South Korea. On this farm, the poor pups lived in terrible conditions.
Nash McCutchen, the marketing coordinator for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, told The Dodo, “They did have shelter from the elements, but they didn’t have anything on the sides to keep out the wind and the snow. All crammed in there. They were basically living in their own filth. Food was thrown in to fatten them up.”
Thankfully, Harriet has a much better life ahead of her. Harriet and 13 other rescued dogs are now at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, where the staff is helping them learn how to navigate life outside of the cruel dog meat farm.
During her first week in the shelter, Harriet had trouble adjusting to her new life. “When she first got here, she was pretty despondent and aloof,” Nash McCutchen said. “She was interested in humans in that she would look at us, but she didn’t initiate any interaction, and she didn’t seem to want any interaction for the first several days.”
After about a week, Harriet began to walk up to the front of her kennel to greet the staff, which was a good sign that she was getting comfortable. The staff decided to start taking her to the play area outside, but they had to carry her because she didn’t understand how to walk with a leash.
She also wasn’t sure what to do with all the open space in her new home—she often stood in one place without moving a muscle.
To give her some time away from the stress of the kennel, the shelter’s volunteer manager, Leslie Menichino, brought Harriet into her office. Menichino laid down a fuzzy blanket for Harriet to nap on. At first, the pup just stood on the blanket, unsure what to do. Then, while still standing, she started dozing off.
“We think that when she was on the farm, they were all so tightly packed in that they’d fall asleep standing up, and the others would hold them up,” Nash McCutchen told The Dodo.
With a little coaching from Menichino, Harriet was able to lay down on the blanket. Once she was comfortable, she took a well-deserved nap.
“Being a witness to it brings tears to my eyes and such happiness,” Menichino said.
Harriet isn’t ready to be adopted just yet, but she’s already made amazing progress in her short time at the Humane Society. She has started eating treats out of Menichino’s hand, and she successfully walked on a leash!
This sweet girl will soon be ready to start life in a new home with a loving family!
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