When you think about what different cultures eat, you may not agree with all of their food choices.
Many cultures eat dog meat. Millions of puppies go to meat farms every year, where they are fed and grow until they are big enough to butcher to eat. There are over 17,000 dog meat farms in Korea alone. To this culture, it’s no different than eating a cow or a pig. In fact, some even consider dog meat a delicacy.
Still, not all Koreans enjoy eating dog meat, and many of them are against the practice and want it to be stopped.
Nami Kim is one of these people. She is a retired teacher and an animal advocate who lives in South Korea. She rescues dogs from going to meat farms and also helps shut these farms down.
She recently rescued several puppies, and she wanted to make sure they found safe homes. She contacted the Animal Humane Society in Minnesota for help. The staff was happy to accept the puppies and find them all new homes.
Nami Kim was happy that she was getting some help.
Brie Nodgaard of the Animal Humane Society said:
“We had never done an international transport before, so it took months of planning to make this all happen. Nami Kim needed a place to rehome these rescued dogs, and we were able to do that!”
It wasn’t easy to get the puppies to the humane society. They had to be medically cleared before they could be flown out, then they had to come up with the money to fly the puppies from South Korea to Minnesota. Pilots N Paws agreed to fly the puppies to safety.
Chicago was the closest options, so once the puppies arrived, they had to be driven from Chicago to Minnesota by a group of volunteers.
It took a lot of planning, a lot of money, a lot of phone calls, and a lot of help. The puppies arrived safely, and the humane society started to look for new homes for them. The staff announced that they would be available for adoption, and the public responded better than anyone expected.
The 10 puppies were named Tora, Bliss, Honey, Rosie, Tannie, Tommy, Charlie, Mark, Tucson, and Leo. People couldn’t wait to meet them. The puppies were tired but also happy to be safe, clean, fed, and healthy.
They seemed to know things were going to get better for them.
Nodgaard talked about the day the puppies became available for adoption. He said:
“Doors opened at 10 a.m. One woman waited in line by 6:30 a.m. to make sure she could give one of these rescued puppies the best life that she could. By 11 a.m. every single puppy was spoken for.”
Everyone was happy to be able to participate in the rescue of these puppies. They know there are many more like them who need loving homes and may not ever be rescued. These puppies are headed for a much better life and will never have to worry about being someone’s meal. Everyone who helped them is relieved.
Nodgaard considers Nami Kim a hero.
He explained:
“Just knowing their story and what their life was destined for is now forever changed. Nami Kim is truly a remarkable woman and is my hero! Words can’t express how overjoyed, proud and happy I am to be a part of making this happen – I too am forever changed!”
Hopefully, more people will step up in Korea to help Nami Kim save or rescue more puppies from meat farms.
These puppies will all need loving homes and owners, too. Maybe eventually, the culture will change and people will stop farming and eating dogs.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/animalhumanesociety/posts/10154696182879714
Or Pin It to save it for later!
Source: Animal Humane Society, The Dodo
