Considering the fact that dog meat consumption is still widely practiced in South Korea mostly among older generations, Jinoak Oh is a truly courageous and compassionate woman who has become the voice of dogs raised for the dog meat market.
Last year Jinoak was told that twenty dogs living at a chicken farm near her house would be sold to a dog meat market. These poor dogs had been fed diseased and dead chickens. Due to the horrible smell and taste of the dead chickens, the dogs often refused to eat them until they couldn’t handle their hunger. No water or shelter had been provided by the farm owner.
For months Jinoak had visited the farm to provide the dogs with water and food, but every time the farm owner saw Jinoak, he yelled at her and told her not to come back. In spite of all the assault and threats, Jinoak couldn’t stop going back because she knew that the only time the dogs get water and food was when she secretly visited them.
Finally the doomsday came. The chicken farm owner wanted to sell the twenty dogs to the meat market. Jinoak tried to convince the owner not to sell them but it didn’t work. The only thing Jinoak could think to do was to buy the dogs herself. However, like most rescuers, she did not have spare money to save the dogs. She borrowed money but still it was not enough. Then she started a fundraiser and eventually made ₩ 5,000,000 ($5,000 USD ) to rescue the twenty dogs. In fact, Jinoak gave the owner extra ₩ 1,000,000 to sign an agreement to never have dogs on the farm again.
Jinoak had asked many Korean animal shelters for help but none stepped up. So she built a shelter (Gin Oak Shelter) and now takes care of the dogs herself.
To get to this point, I’ve paid with my blood and tears. But I cannot do this anymore by myself. I need your help. ~ Jinoak
Photos by Jinoak Oh.
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