HSCO takes in five Korean dogs rescued from meat farm
Humane Society of Central Oregon staff drove to the Hillsboro Airport on Saturday to pick up five dogs that were rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm by Humane Society International.
A total of 35 dogs were greeted by representatives from the Humane Society of Central Oregon, Oregon Humane Society, Progressive Animal Welfare Society and Columbia Humane Society, all working together to help save lives, the Bend shelter said in Monday’s announcement.
The dogs arrived in Bend at 10:30 p.m. Sunday night. The five rescued South Korean dogs are a variety of breed mixes, including Labrador, Belgian Malinois, Jindo and Terrier mixes. The dogs range from 8 months to 4 years of age.
The dogs were medically evaluated in South Korea prior to their flight to the United States. HSCO said its staff will spend the coming days ascertaining the health and wellbeing of the dogs. The final leg of their journey will be finding homes after an adjustment period to their new environment, and learning more about each dog.
The 35 dogs on this flight are part of the more than 200 dogs rescued from the 13 th Farm that Humane Society International has closed down in cooperation with the farm owners. The Humane Society of Central Oregon took in 17 dogs rescued from Farm 5 in March of 2016.
Nearly 1,400 dogs have been rescued since January 2015 by Humane Society International. The closure of Farm 13 had extra support from Simon Cowell .
A 71-year-old dog meat farmer, Gyeonnggi-do, has become the latest to take advantage of Humane Society International’s (HSI) program to phase out the cruel dog meat industry in South Korea by working with farmers who want to get out of the business.
HSCO officials said this dog meat farmer raised dogs for human consumption for 14 years before approaching HSI for help in shutting down his business to expand into a more profitable crop of medicinal herbs.
When HSCO took in the 17 dogs from Farm 5 in 2016, there were a lot of unknowns, and a lot of challenges.
” Due to the conditions that these dogs suffer from, HSCO feels compelled to provide them a better destiny. Despite the fact these dogs arrive with unique challenges, it’s a rewarding experience to give them a life they deserve,” said Karen Burns, operations director for HSCO.
