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This is a translation of the November 28th, 2013 posting on KARA(Korea Animal Rights Advocates)’s website: [Seeking Volunteers] Dogs living on food garbage in raised wire cages will at last live on ground.

Dogs living on food garbage in raised wire cages
will at last live on ground.

September 2013.
A donkey was standing in the rain at Baekun Lake (Hagui-dong, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea).
And behind this donkey there were dogs in raised wire cages with festered paws due to not having a place to stand or lay comfortably.

As we approached the cages to take a better look at the dogs, we saw food garbage called “Jjanbap” in their food bowls. Even this must have been old because it was spoiled and had a rotten stench.

There were dogs with innocent eyes eating spoiled food and puppies sucking on milk from their mother who had been fed rotten garbage.
Even in this place where animal welfare is non-existent, there were these precious lives.

We revisited this place after the rain had stopped.
Ms. Eun-Yeop Kang, who is currently a KARA director as well as an honorary president, has been visiting daily to improve their living conditions and give them food and water ever since she discovered this place .
The donkey, Mong-Ryong-Yee, recognizes Ms. Kang. She visits every day and feeds him carrots.

Through a tip from one of our members, we became aware of this place where donkey rides were offered to tourists.
The owner of this place was making a living on the donkey rides – 10,000 Korean Won ($10 USD) for adults and 5,000 Korean Won ($5 USD) for children.

According to the owner, he didn’t breed these dogs for a specific purpose, such as for pets or for meat. But because he didn’t spay and neuter them, the number has grown like this from just one or two dogs.

Innocent puppies, unaware of the reality of this world, seem to be having a good time playing with each other.
Mother dogs need adequate nutrients but it seems that they are not even getting water.

The majority of the dogs here lived their entire lives in raised cages so the soles of their paws became ulcerated like this.

In their food bowls, there was garbage and crab shells that could get stuck in their throat when they ate it.
For the owner, who has an unreliable income source, collecting food garbage from local restaurants to feed them was the best he could do…
Thinking about the dogs who had to fill their hungry stomachs with this spoiled, rotten garbage because there’s nothing else to eat made us sad.

Dogs in unsanitary conditions.
Is it ok to leave them like that?

First, we urgently supplied food to these dogs who have lived on garbage.
We explained to the owner that feeding these dogs salty and spicy food is harmful to their health.
The owner promised us that he will no longer collect food garbage from restaurants.

The owner made food bowls and water bowls like this himself showing us that he has really changed.
It puts a smile on our face.

After much persuasion, Ms. Kang was able to get him to agree on spaying and neutering his dogs. One by one they are currently getting spayed and neutered.
At first, the dogs were very guarded towards strangers but little by little they warmed up to us. One by one they were moved to veterinary hospitals.
KARA has decided to pay 100% of the spaying and neutering operation costs.

We decided to take down their current raised cages and build new housing to improve their living conditions before the weather gets colder.

Ta-da! All the raised cages are taken down and removed. It’s such a great feeling to see the area all cleared.

Because the new structure faces south to help absorb sunlight, and has walls to block rain and wind, these dogs won’t be cold this winter.
Imagining dogs playing around freely makes us happy.

Inside there are even cozy bedrooms.
This is how the dog houses look after completion.

Now that they have moved into their new homes, the dogs look excited, don’t they?
The owner promised to take better care of these dogs as a condition for us building a new home for them. Ms. Kang and our volunteers will help to manage this place to keep it going forward.

Leaving behind the raised cages where their paws were falling in between the wires, the dogs now have a comfortable place to play and live.
The dogs who stepped on the ground for the first time in their lives will never forget the comfortable and soft feeling under their paws.

We are deeply grateful to Ms. Kang, who didn’t turn a blind eye to these poor dogs and is doing her best for them with her persistent persuasion and interest, and also to all our volunteers.

Around us, there are people who like dogs but treat them cruelly because they just don’t know how to take care of them properly.
If we were to witness these neglected dogs and just close our eyes, we would also be acting cruelly, wouldn’t we?
Dogs are neglected and left in terrible conditions. Please take an interest around you so that the animals can live in a better environment.

If you live near Baekun Lake and are able to volunteer to help take care of these dogs even for a little while, please contact KARA office or email us.

T. 02.3482.0999 / [email protected] Seul-Gi Lee at KARA office

Do you want to help homeless animals? Please join KARA family.