South Korea President Adopts Meat Farm Rescue Dog - BBC News

The recent adoption of a former dog meat farm dog by South Korea�s newly elected President Moon Jae-in sends a positive message out regarding his personal views in relation to animal welfare.

The more cynical could view it as simply a political move to keep the animal welfare movement, both within South Korea and internationally, happy. The fact remains that the recent changes to the animal welfare laws in South Korea fail to address the dog meat issue in any meaningful way. As the annual Bok Nai festival draws to a close, an estimated 2 million dogs, raised in appalling conditions and inhumanely slaughtered, will have been consumed in dog meat restaurants throughout the country, in the misguided belief that dog meat and particularly the pungent bosin-tang soup, which translates literally as tonic soup, will ward off the effects of the hot weather.

The reality of course is very different. With no controls over dog meat, studies have shown that zoonotic diseases, (diseases that are transmittable to humans), are often found in dogs in South Korean dog meat markets. In addition, farmers are known to use excessive amounts of antibiotics to keep the dogs alive long enough to reach market. Human resistance to antibiotics is of growing concern in South Korea.

The legal position surrounding dog meat in South Korea is heaped in confusion. We look to President Moon and his progressive government to bring an end to a practise that has tainted the image of South Korea and its people for too long. Using the excuse of �culture� is unacceptable. There is no place for cruelty in culture. Culture is something a nation should be proud of. Healthy Korean food is now being exported around the world. Why not dog meat if it is a part of this culture? The fact that the government has driven the trade underground during major sporting events indicates clearly that they understand the industry is an embarrassment and unacceptable. Quite simply there is no place for cruelty in culture in the modern world. More and more South Koreans including enlightened and progressive politicians are demanding change. The mayor of Bucheon city is currently looking to make his city the first dog meat-free city in the country. Other less developed countries in the region have already banned dog meat. South Korea needs to do the same and show the world it is an advanced nation in every respect. Demand is falling, and the costs involved in subsidies to farmers to switch to healthier and more environmentally friendly products would be small in comparison to the benefits reaped.

Others state that �meat dogs� are different to pet dogs. President Moon has shown how ludicrous that view is with the dog he has recently adopted. A dog is a dog, and one cannot differentiate between pet dogs and meat dogs.

The reality is that in no country anywhere in the world are dogs classified as livestock. The only country in the world where they are commercially farmed is South Korea, and such farms are unregulated and a stain on the image of the country.

President Moon Jae-in has been elected for the next 5 years and although we understand he cannot ban dog meat tomorrow, he has ample time to introduce legislation to end this horrific practise once and for all and to convince the South Korean people of the wisdom in doing so.

� John Dalley, co-founder and president of Soi Dog Foundation

See the president’s official announcement and photos here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlueHouseKR/posts/1924209004533997



Moon Jae-in makes good his election promise to adopt a rescued animal as the country’s “First Dog”.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-40740717

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Soi Dog Foundation

Established in 2003 in Phuket, Thailand, Soi Dog is Southeast Asia's largest organisation helping stray animals. The Gill Dalley sanctuary in Phuket is home to over 1,600 animals. Soi Dog also has a treatment facility in Bangkok and responds to crisis situations throughout Thailand. The organisation is dedicated to implementing effective, sustainable solutions that reduce the suffering of dogs and cats in Asia, runs entirely on donations and works efficiently so all donations are used to help animals as effectively as possible.

The foundation is a registered not-for-profit organisation in Thailand, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France and Holland. It has a maximum 4-star rating with Charity Navigator, the largest and most-utilised independent non-profit evaluator in the United States, a platinum seal of transparency from Candid, the world’s largest source of non-profit information, a Top Rated award from Greatnonprofits and the Travelers’ Choice award from Tripadvisor.

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