Animal rescuers save 170 dogs from canine meat farm

Animal rescuers have saved more than 170 dogs destined for the dinner plate from a meat farm in South Korea.

According to the Humane Society International (HSI), the dog meat farm in Namyangju is one of an estimated 17,000 dog farms in South Korea breeding more than 2.5 million dogs a year for human consumption.

Rescuers from the charity saved the dogs from filthy and deprived conditions at the farm, where they live in rows of wire cages and no vet care until they would be killed by electrocution at the local market or slaughterhouse and made into a spicy soup called bosintang.

HSI said many of the poor pooches suffer with eye infections, skin disease and painful leg and paw sores from days of standing and sitting on thin wire message.

But the dogs have now been saved as part of the charity’s campaign to bring an end to brutal dog meat trade, with 13 fly to a UK shelter in the New Year after completing their quarantine and the rest headed for the United States and Canada.

According to the charity a mixture of breeds were being bred for eating including greyhounds, spaniels and mastiffs, and the 13 destined for the UK include a golden retriever, beagle, and Korean jindo.

Rescuers were joined by The Only Way Is Essex’s Pete Wicks, who wanted to get involved after being moved by videos from previous HSI dog farm closures.

He said: “Seeing for myself the horror of a dog meat farm has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life".

“I love my dog Eric with all my heart, and I kept thinking how dreadful it would be for him to spend even one day in a place like that.

“Some of the dogs I met were terrified, and you can’t blame them because they’ve seen the cruel side of humanity, but I couldn’t believe how friendly most of them were despite everything they’ve been through. The way they wagged their tails just broke my heart."