April 14, 2018
Last month, Shirie, E and I attended an alumni picnic with Hope for Donghae Paws. Donghae Paws is the rescue that found Shirie, so it was great to meet the wonderful Donghae Paws team based in the US and all the other dogs they rescued.
Donghae Paws works with various animal shelters in South Korea. Their base shelter is located in Donghae (hence the name), which is a city off the eastern (Dong in Korean) sea (Hae in Korean). Donghae Paws is run by a dog-loving group of Korean Americans who have noticed the challenges of dog ownership in South Korea with the prevalence of negligence. Dogs that enter shelters rarely ever find a new home. Although dogs in the US shelters also struggle to find new homes, it seems to be more of a problem in South Korea. Donghae Paws works with these shelters to help dogs find new homes in the US. Shirie came from one of these shelters. Actually, Shirie came from a shelter based in Ilsan, one of my favorite cities in South Korea.
Don’t get me wrong, South Korea is a wonderful country. Like all countries, however, they have their own set of cultural expectations that will take generations to change. It just happens that South Korea comes from a culture that has historically served dog as a soup in its cuisine. Naturally, as Korean society starts to integrate dogs into their families, the society will still face a backlash from failing dogmeat farms and dog neglect and abuse will remain prevalent. It’s organizations like Donghae Paws and other animal advocacy groups in South Korea that will pave the way to a new understanding between man and man’s best friend in South Korea.
Please enjoy the photos of all the Donghae Paws with their new families. They have all had quite a journey and seem to be thriving in their new lives. Shirie, E, and I are ever grateful for Donghae Paws and the opportunity that they gave us to expand our family.
Until next time,
ㅅ_ㅅ