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Dorae was one of the six Dosa dogs rescued from devastating floods in Dangjin, Korea in 2020. Raised for meat, ironically the floods saved Dorae’s life from being slaughtered that summer. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as his “owner” evacuated the area and allowed us to take possession of Dorae and his family, and bring them to safety.
Since then, his three siblings Dori, Doa, and Dodo have left Korea for better pastures with their forever families. However, Dorae and his parents, Dojin and Dosoon, are essentially stuck in Korea due to their size and weight. Over 40kg (80lb), they exceed the airline limitations to fly, and would not be able to take their freedom flights even if they were to find forever homes abroad.
Dorae is a Korean Dosa, also known as a Korean mastiff, a breed widely marginalized by Korean society. Viewed as a “meat dog breed” and stereotyped as being feral and aggressive, finding forever homes or foster families within Korea is a near-impossible task. It is unfortunate society fails to see what wonderful companions they are capable of being as we have seen through our own personal experiences.
Dorae currently lives with his parents in a private boarding house located in the remote mountain regions of South Korea, close to the North Korean border. With limited resources to run the shelter, Dorae is afforded little enrichment, attention, and affection he craves. He spends most of his time in his kennel as there is so much for the shelter staff to do, but so little time to complete their daily tasks. Although he loves going on walks, staff and volunteers can only commit to taking him out for a short walk twice per day. Due to this short supply of human resources around the shelter, Dorae is shy around strangers but gives his whole heart to those he knows and trusts.
While shelter life provides safety and security, it also has its limitations. Dorae has so much to give and so much potential to show but is held back by his environment. At five years old, Dorae is already mid-age as the life expectancy of his breed is only approximately ten years. Without proper enrichment, it could be less. Help us make the most of this beautiful boy.