Puppies Rescued from South Korean Dog Meat Farm Find New Homes in Ottawa

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 23, 2016) - Three very special dogs arrived in Montreal after being rescued by Humane Society International from a South Korea dog meat operation. The HSI Animal Rescue Team brought another 50 dogs from the same facility to the United States yesterday.

The dogs include two puppies - Sophie and Sally - who were born into a life of suffering on a dog meat farm. They made the trip with an adult female dog named Cinta. All three dogs are now safe with their foster family in Ottawa under the care of Freedom Dog Rescue.

The operator of the dog meat farm entered an agreement with HSI to shut down the farm and relinquish all of his dogs. An additional 200 dogs rescued from the farm will be transported to the U.S. and Canada in April. A team of veterinarians and animal care specialists with HSI will care for these dogs in the meantime.

Andrew Plumbly, campaign manager for HSI/Canada, assisted in the rescue in South Korea and said: "When we entered the facility, the suffering of these dogs and puppies was clear and overwhelming. They were huddled miserably in wire cages with no bedding or protection from the extreme cold temperatures. If we hadn't intervened I don't know how much longer they would have survived in that place. The death they would have ultimately faced in a dog slaughterhouse would have been horrific. Thankfully these dogs now have a chance at better lives in Canada and the United States."

HSI is working in countries across Asia to end the grisly dog meat trade. This includes intercepting trucks crammed with dogs headed for slaughter in China, providing funding to train officials for improved enforcement of laws and support care for confiscated animals, helping dog meat farmers in South Korea transition to more humane ways of making a living, and helping to lead the Asia Canine Protection Alliance to tackle the illegal trade of dogs from Thailand and Laos into Vietnam.

The trip would not be possible without the support and assistance of Air Canada.

For more information, visit hsi.org/dogmeat. B-roll and photos of the facility and the dogs' arrival in Canada are available here.

Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the Web at www.hsicanada.ca