Rescued from South Korea's cooking pot: Adorable puppies are thriving with British families after being saved from becoming dog meat during Bok Nal festival
- Animal welfare charity has saved 1800 dogs from the cooking pot in South Korea
- Thirty of the puppies were rehomed with families in the UK, and are thriving
- They were rescued when a 71-year-old farmer asked the charity for help in shutting down his farm
An animal welfare charity has saved 1800 dogs from the cooking pot in South Korea - and rehomed some with loving families in the UK.
Nara the jindo in Devon, Robin the Maltese-cross in Oxfordshire, Millie the spaniel in Staffordshire, and Sandie the Labrador in Nottinghamshire are just some of the 30 dogs that were fated to have been amongst the more than one million dogs who will be electrocuted, butchered and eaten during Bok Nal this year.
Last year, the Humane Society UK helped rescue them when a 71-year-old dog meat farmer asked for their help in escaping the controversial trade.
A mother dog and her puppies are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea, on Saturday, August 18, 2018
Wendy Higgins, HSI Director of International Media, with Robin a puppy bound for the UK (left). Right: She cuddles Olive and Indie, who are bound for the UK, at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea, on Saturday, October 6, 2018. The operation is part of HSIs efforts to fight the dog meat trade throughout Asia
Robin on the farm with HSI Korea's Nara Kim: Nara is part of an animal welfare charity has saved 1800 dogs from the cooking pot in South Korea - and rehomed some with loving families in the UK
Nara Kim, Campaign Manager in South Korea of HSI, gently kisses Nara, a UK-bound dog is shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
Known as the 'dog meat days', South Korean mark the hottest days of the lunar calendar - July 12, July 22, August 11 - during which many will eat dog meat soup, known as Boshintang, in the belief that it will cool the blood and boost energy.
Although the practice of eating dog is fast dying out in the country, the days, called Bok Nal still sees an upswing in consumption even among Koreans who would never eat it any other time of the year.
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HSI UK's Wendy Higgins was part of the charity's rescue team that saved Nara, Robin, Millie and Sandie, along with the other 200 dogs on the farm, who now live in Canada, the United States and the Netherlands.
She told MailOnline 'The public mood in South Korea is starting to turn against dog meat, but for those dogs still caught up in this industry, life on a dog meat farm is extremely harsh.
Sandie the Labrador in her new home in the UK. Her new owner said: 'Sandie settled in so well very early on but in the past three months her true personality has really come out'
Sandie with her new adopted sibling. 'We love Sandie and we know that she loves us in return. Her previous life is so far removed now but her calm nature and faith in people made it easy for her to transition' her owner said
Sandie was saved from the cooking pot in South Korea and now lives with a family in Nottinghamshire
Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju: Last year, the Humane Society UK helped rescue them when a 71-year-old dog meat farmer asked for their help in escaping the controversial trade
'Dogs are confined their whole lives in small, barren, filthy cages exposed to the bitter cold of winter and searing heat of summer. Many cages have wire mesh floors, meaning dogs suffer painful sores to their paws and haunches.
'They are given a slop of restaurant waste to eat, no water, and no veterinary care. At around one year of age, most dogs on farms will be dragged off to market where they are killed by electrocution and butchered for dog meat soup.
'The most recent UK arrivals had a lucky escape, they would all probably be dead by now otherwise.'
The HSI Animal Rescue Team rescues Tessa, who is bound for the UK, at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea, on Saturday, October 6, 2018
Wendy gently kisses Robin. The Maltese-cross now lives in Oxfordshire
Millie the spaniel cross now lives in Staffordshire with a much nicer life
Lola Webber, Campaign Manager for South Korea of HSI, greets puppies at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
Nara the jindo in South Korea, she now lives in Devon. Her owner said: 'We adore her! She is such a happy, curious little dog who loves her walks and bustles around her territory'
A UK-bound puppy, centre, is shown locked, at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
Tessa, sitting at right, is shown locked in a cage along with other puppies at a dog meat far
Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju: Known as the 'dog meat days', South Korean mark the hottest days of the lunar calendar
Judy Hartshorn in Devon adopted Nara, added: 'We adore her! She is such a happy, curious little dog who loves her walks and bustles around her territory.
'She has great fun with her toys and loves to play.
'She is simply a great little companion slowly overcoming her fears!'
The rescue of these dogs is just one example of Humane Society International's pioneering program to phase out the cruel dog meat trade in South Korea, that has seen the charity so far save 1,800 dogs and close down 14 dog meat farms.
They work in partnership with farmers like Mr Lee who want to stop farming dogs but need help to switch to more profitable and humane livelihoods like mushroom or water parsley growing.
Wendy cuddles Indie, who is bound for the UK, at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
Wendy shakes paws with Sandie the labrador
Millie the Spaniel spends her first Christmas at home in Staffordshire
Sandie and Dermot in the farm in South Korea
Nara the Jindo before she was rehomed in the UK
Millie the Spaniel and her canine pal Luna, who have both since been rehomed
Millie and Sandie arrive in Heathrow ready to be rehomed in the UK
Richard Jennings, whose family adopted Sandie, added: 'Sandie settled in so well very early on but in the past three months her true personality has really come out.
'We love Sandie and we know that she loves us in return. Her previous life is so far removed now but her calm nature and faith in people made it easy for her to transition.
'We know that both Sandie and us are the lucky ones.'
Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea: Although the practice of eating dog is fast dying out in the country, the days, called Bok Nal still sees an upswing in consumption even among Koreans who would never eat it any other time of the year
Nara plays with a toy at her new home in Devon
Sandie goes into a cage, ready to be flown to the UK and be rehomed
Millie and Luna pictured on the farm rescue day
Millie now, thriving with a family in the UK
The groups farm closures are also used to demonstrate to the South Korean government and public that it is possible to phase out the cruel industry in partnership , instead of in conflict-with dog farmers.
They told MailOnline: 'We aim to persuade the South Korean government to commit to a state-sponsored phase out of the industry.
'These initial farm closures demonstrate that there is a willingness within the industry to phase out this trade.'
A UK-bound puppy at a dog meat farm in Namyangju,
A mother dog and her puppies are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
Robin with her new mum Pippa Thompson and her siblngs
Sarah Edwards poses with Millie after adopting her from South Korea
Farmer Lee and HSI closed his farm (pictured) in October 2018. He said: 'When I first started this farm I had heard that the dog meat industry was booming and I thought it would be a safe retirement plan.
Nala lies on the bed at home in the UK
Wendy kisses Robin before she was taken to the UK
A labrador on the farm before she was rescued
Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju. The local authorities are also taking action to crack down on the industry
Farmer Lee and HSI closed his farm in October 2018.
He said: 'When I first started this farm I had heard that the dog meat industry was booming and I thought it would be a safe retirement plan.
'But the fact is eating dog meat has been on the decline ever since, and these days so few people want to eat dog that I'm actually losing money.
'I've wanted to stop dog farming for a while but I didn't know how to make it happen until a former dog farmer told me about HSI's scheme to turn dog farms into new businesses.
A UK-bound dog, at right, is shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju
The public and political dog meat debate is taking place in South Korea has risen to new levels in recent years
This month the charity also assisted the Busan mayor in closing down Gupo dog meat market, and last year the charity assisted Seognam city council in closing the largest dog slaughterhouse in the country
Last August the the President's Blue House pledged to consider removing dogs and cats from the legal definition of livestock
Eating dog meat is increasingly falling out of favour, especially with young Koreans, with its popularity probably at an all-time low
'I think there will be a lot of interest from other dog farmers wanting to quit too, because it's not just about saving the dogs but about helping us farmers too, and I appreciate that.'
The public and political dog meat debate is taking place in South Korea has risen to new levels in recent years.
The local authorities are also taking action to crack down on the industry. This month the charity also assisted the Busan mayor in closing down Gupo dog meat market, and last year the charity assisted Seognam city council in closing the largest dog slaughterhouse in the country.
Last August the the President's Blue House pledged to consider removing dogs and cats from the legal definition of livestock.
Eating dog meat is increasingly falling out of favour, especially with young Koreans, with its popularity probably at an all-time low.
