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The Dog Culture in Korea: Why We Should Care

July 14, 2019 by SC 3 Comments

To put lightly, the Korean dog culture is very different from that of Canada. The Western’s view of dogs as “man’s best friend” is very slowly taking hold in Korea, where Boknal, the unionized and protected dog meat industry, lack of effective and just animal protection laws, and operation of filthy puppy mills are still left unchecked.

First, we must understand how Koreans perceive dogs. In Vancouver and Toronto, when I walk my Yorkie, the children we encounter always want to meet Coco – two had even stopped crying upon marvelling at how cute and small she is. In Korea, however, most children were visibly scared and hid behind their parents, though they showed some curiosity. I was incredibly taken aback when my cousins were terrified of Coco and refused to hang their feet off the couch because Coco sat patiently in front of them on the floor. Koreans see dogs simply as animals that could strike at any moment.

Most dogs in the countryside are left outdoors, chained up to a nearby tree, living in plastic doghouses through heatwaves and frosts. That being said, there have been efforts to change this perception. Puppies who meet great parents are pampered with fashionable clothes, hand cooked meals, matcha spas, visits to dog cafes with great facilities, and their own furniture, like stairs and strollers (though seemingly odd, the small dogs prevalent in Asian countries need these). There has been an increasing presence of dogs in the media. However, this became a double-edged sword, in which it increased Koreans’ interest towards dogs, but many adopt without understanding the responsibility of taking care of one. Without research, many people initially adopt dogs because they are cute and cheap in Korea. However, once they prove to be burdensome and require more care, owners end up irresponsibly abandoning their dogs who have already grown loyal to their human counterparts. This is especially the case during the holidays.


This trend of adopting and abandoning doubly affects the dog population in Korea, where puppy mills and dog farms profit. The concept of adopting from breeders has not been fully introduced in Korea, and most interested families adopt from pet stores. Rescues are stereotyped against as dirty, wild, and untrained. Pet stores do not properly take care of their pets – they are kept in small cages and are not taken out unless for showing. More importantly, however, pet stores obtain their pets from puppy mills (though they refuse the claim when inquired). Pedigrees are not confirmed, and dogs are not well bred or cared for. Puppy mills and dog farms are filthy, and owners rarely clean up the excrements. Cages that contain the puppies are piled on top of each other; the ones at the bottom are showered with the tops’ excrements, and the top often develop patellar laxation from their feet going through the bars. Puppies from these farms are all around unhealthy and genetically weak. They are starved so the owners can cater to the Korean market for cute and small dogs. Females are administered hormonal drugs to keep getting pregnant and maximize owners’ profits. Both the mother and her babies are at a higher risk of developing breast tumour. To top this all off, after adoption comes abandonment, and dogs end up in slaughterhouses of dog farms for human consumption.

Humane Society International estimates nearly 2 million dogs are slaughtered for meat every year in Korea. According to the Korea Animal Rights Activists (KARA), over 3000 dog meat farms are still in operation. While cultural views are slowly changing and disapproval of dog meat consumption increases, the unbalanced shift leads us to a new problem of overpopulation within a country who is not ready to accept these homeless dogs with open arms. Nevertheless, there are many dogs in Korea. Most are abused, abandoned, or neglected, and organizations like Free Korean Dogs work towards rescuing and finding them the forever families they deserve, educating the public about such atrocities, and advising how to break the cruel cycle that profits off inhumane treatment against beings that were literally bred to be our companions. Support from both within and outside Korea are needed to combat this problem. As you can see, any and all help from our adopters, donors, and volunteers allow the dogs we rescue to have a second chance at a good life.


Written by Kris Choi

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Filed Under: Blog, Dog Meat Trade, Featured, Public Awareness Tagged With: Dog Meat Farm, Dog meat trade, Dog Rescue, Korea, Tradition

About SC

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fiorella says

    July 26, 2019 at 10:15 am

    Hello,

    first of all I want to say thank you for all the work you do to save these beautiful dogs and finding furever homes and giving them a second chance at life.

    I live in Toronto and would like to know what the adoption process is.

    Should I be interested in adopting one of your dogs, is the dog picked up in Toronto?

    Looking forward to hearing from you!

    Thank you,
    Fiorella

    Reply
    • EK Park, Executive Director says

      July 26, 2019 at 10:28 am

      Hi Fiorella,

      Thank you for your interest in Korean rescues.
      Here are the links to the adoption process and Q&As. Please emali us if you have any questions.
      https://www.freekoreandogs.org/adoption-process/
      https://www.freekoreandogs.org/adoption-qa/

      EK

      Reply
  2. Su Sripathy says

    October 5, 2019 at 5:46 am

    Thank you for being the voice for the defenseless and voiceless precious furbabies… We as the human race need to speak up loudly for our 4 legged companions. The Koreans the Chinese need to stop with their dog meat consumption and their mentality of purchasing their furbabies from breeders.
    That being said the Western world is just as much guilty of these crimes as well…
    #stopthedogmeattrade #stoptheanimalabuse #stoptheanimalcruelty …

    Reply

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Free Korean Dogs (FKD) is a registered charity in Canada (BN:80580 0166RR0001). Free Korean Dogs US (FKD US) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization #85-2573367 in the USA, with charitable organization registrations in the following States: Washington #2004912, Oregon #58908 & California #0274571. Learn more

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