Dogs from meat farm get a second chance

Our team at Humane Society International and HSI/Korea just closed their 18th dog meat farm outside of Seoul, South Korea. Nearly 200 dogs were rescued from the operation. It was there that they found Romeo, a sweet dog who was suffering from painful foot sores, due to standing on a wired cage floor covered with feces. See the beginning of this sweet boy's rescue, as our Animal Rescue Team helps him and all the dogs on this farm find comfort and relief. Thank you for supporting our lifesaving work!

Seventy-three year old Mr Yang in South Korea’s Chungcheong province has become the latest dog meat farmer in the country to join Humane Society International/Korea’s Models for Change program as part of the charity’s efforts to end the dog meat industry. Through working with HSI/Korea, Mr Yang is leaving dog meat farming behind him and transitioning to growing cabbages and other crops instead. The nearly 200 dogs and puppies on his farm, who were destined for slaughter, will instead be transported to the United States and Canada where they will begin their search for adoptive families.

The closure comes at a time of increasing public and political support for ending the dog meat industry. Last year, First lady Kim Keon-hee openly called for a ban, and latest opinion surveys show that most South Koreans (85%) don’t eat dog meat and 56% support a ban. In December 2021, the government formed a task force to bring forward recommendations on the issue, but after repeated delays, HSI/Korea is urging the government to begin a phase out program mirroring HSI’s Models for Change.

This is the 18th dog meat farm permanently closed by HSI/Korea, resulting in the rescue of more than 2,700 dogs since the program began who have found adoptive families in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and a small number in South Korea.