A team of volunteers with the Peterborough Humane Society is on its way to Montreal today (April 13) to pick up 15 of 80 dogs that were rescued from a South Korean meat farm by Humane Society International.
The dogs, which are mostly female, are all between eight months and one year old and of different breeds including Norwegian Elkhound, Tossa, and Korean Jindo.
Although they were quarantined in South Korea and then in Montreal and have already been examined by veterinarians, the dogs will receive additional medical screening after they arrive in Peterborough later this afternoon. All the dogs have been fully vaccinated, including for canine influenza.
The Korean dogs are scheduled to be spayed or neutered before they are made available for adoption. The Peterborough Humane Society will announce when viewings and adoptions will be available, which will be a minimum of 72 hours after the dogs arrive in Peterborough.
The dogs were brought to Canada by Humane Society International (HSI), which has worked in South Korea for the past three years and have permanently closed down 10 dog meat farms, transporting more than 1,200 dogs to safety in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
“Weeks ago, these dogs lived a life of severe deprivation, crammed in barren wire cages, and chained to stakes in the ground on a South Korean dog meat farm,” says Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada. “They had no protection from the cold and were denied even the most basic of their needs, such as proper food, veterinary care and socialization.”
HSI was able to rescue the dogs with support from the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation and the Peterborough Humane Society, which recently became an HSI placement partner.
“We are extremely excited to be establishing this relationship with the team at HSI, in an effort to find these beautiful dogs deserving homes in our community,” says Peterborough Humane Society executive directory Shawn Morey.
“Over the past few weeks, we have been extremely diligent in the decision making to be sure these dogs will be great additions to local families. They have been quarantined, vaccinated, vetted, as well as behaviourally screened prior to moving forward with this program.”
Mike Swift, Canadian and Olympian Hockey star from the Korean Hockey team and a Peterborough hockey boy at heart, will be on hand to greet the dogs when they arrive in Peterborough.
“Being a dog lover and having been in Korea for the past seven years, it seemed like a great fit to support yet another great endeavour by the PHS team and its volunteers,” Swift says.
A number of local businesses are also supporting the dog transfer, including Kawartha Chrysler, Little Ceasars Pizza, NV Media productions, That’s a Wrap Catering, and Trent Valley Honda.
