Mixed fate for Korea's mutts in Year of Dog

As the lunar calendar moves into the Year of the Dog, Korean pets face a mixed fate; some dogs will get the royal treatment, while others will be neglected. Picture book pooches will be dressed in cute outfits and have their tails dyed. They will be taken to dog cafes - places where pet dogs are pampered - in stark contrast to the fate of other dogs headed for the pot in "boshintang" restaurants.

The extremes - from mollycoddling to abandonment - in the treatment of dogs come from a boom in the pet industry that happened rapidly while old practices remained. 

Before the rise of pet shops 20 years ago, dogs were usually left tied up outside and treated as guard dogs and not considered domestic animals as smaller breeds are today.

"In my experience, most Koreans who allow their dogs to live indoors tend to spoil them while many of those who keep them outside often forget they exist and neglect them," Yoon Kerr of International Aid for Korean Animals told The Korea Herald. 

The larger dogs that are left outside are the ones that have the most problems, said Dr. Kwon Dae-hyun, a veterinarian at the Chung Wha Animal Hospital in Seoul

He said many people take on dogs not realizing the full responsibility, and the dogs are abandoned or mistreated because of a lack of education in animal welfare. 

"People don't know what they have to do," he said, referring to the basic need of dogs to receive regular food, water, exercise and vaccinations. 

While Kwon blames the lack of education for the mistreatment of dogs, Kerr pinpoints the dog meat trade for the widespread lack of compassion for animals in Korea

"The dog meat trade and widespread contempt for animals resulting from such a trade seriously discourages and undermines the development of responsible pet ownership. When people do not respect animals or know that their pet animals can be regarded as food by others, it is easy to neglect pets or abandon them when they become inconvenient through illness or bad behavior." 

Prior to the 1988 Olympic Games and the 2002 World Cup, Korea came under international scrutiny for its dog-eating, creating a stereotype that suggested all Koreans ate dog, though only a minority do. 

Many here were quick to point out that pet owners do not eat dog, and that dogs for consumption are a different breed from those kept as pets. In the face of strong international criticism, many defended the practice as a cultural custom dating back to the days when Korea was poor and dogs provided the only available meat. 

The Korean Animal Protection Society says in those days, there was no trade in dog meat and since then an industry has grown out of the mythical health benefits of dog meat - particularly for men's virility. KAPS says that even though millions of Koreans love dogs, every year a minority still consumes 2 million dogs, which are tortured before being killed. 

Kerr (an international representative of KAPS in the United Kingdom) said that because of this trade, there is no widespread compassion for animals in Korea, a noticeable contrast to attitudes in Britain, "When people see owners who keep their dogs in the garden with very little exercise, most British think badly of the owner and seriously contemplate reporting their findings to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) as a case of animal cruelty. 

"In Korea, there are many people who keep their family dogs in their garden, neglecting their physical and emotional health and even failing to provide fresh water or warm shelter, and yet attract little criticism. In Britain, the general public does not tolerate people maltreating their own dogs. In Korea, there is much less public pressure against owners who neglect or maltreat their dogs," said Kerr. 

In Britain there is a general awareness because of organizations such as the RSPCA and campaigns such as "a dog is for life, not just for Christmas," that promote responsible long-term pet ownership. 

In Korea, dogs that are abandoned generally face an unfortunate fate as there is no universal system to deal with them. The lucky ones may be taken care of at a shelter, such as the one KAPS runs, but there is a limit on how long they can stay there if nobody wants to adopt them.

"In Korea most people do not want to adopt a poor dog. They want a cute healthy dog," said Dr. Kwon. 

He said that in his experience, it is usually only foreigners who want to rescue abandoned dogs. 

One such foreigner is Dave Peacock from Scotland who has rescued between 15 and 20 animals during his time in Korea and found homes for them with other Westerners.

Right now, he and his wife share their home with three dogs, one of which is a thoroughbred Jindo that was tied up for most of its life and mistreated. They used to pass her every day and play with her until the owner told them to take her away. They named her Cindy, after Cinderella because she was filthy, underfed and neglected and "now she is a beautiful princess." 

It cost a lot of money to treat Cindy for heartworm - a life-threatening parasite - but Peacock doesn't care about the money. He said that in the West, dogs are treated as part of the family and he hates to see animals being mistreated. Like Dr. Kwon, he blames the situation on a lack of education. Peacock said he is shocked that people abandon their dogs and has heard many times of dogs in Korea disappearing and "going to the countryside." 

Now he struggles every time he sees neglected animals because he has exhausted all his means to take care of them. "I find it very difficult," he said. 

While the situation may seem bleak, Dr. Kwon thinks that things are getting slightly better. Compared to the situation of the last lunar Year of the Dog, the fate of Korean dogs seems to be more fortunate.

"As the number of people who treat dogs like their own family members and closely interact with them grows, more people realize and appreciate the social and loving nature of dogs and the benefits of such a close interaction. This has positive effects on people's general attitudes toward dogs and I believe that Koreans are treating their dogs better than in the past," Kerr said. 

by Jane Cooper (jane@heraldm.com)
2006.01.31

International Aid for Korean Animals
Korea Animal Protection Society
P.O. Box 20600, Oakland, 94620-0600, USA
www.koreananimals.org
iaka@koreananimals.org