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The first KARA summer rally for 2009 was on Saturday, July 11. The theme was our love for dogs and our rejection of the brutal dog meat industry. Most KARA members and their companion animals wore matching KARA logo t-shirts.
Signs were held appealing to the public to reject dog meat consumption and the dogs had messages attached to their shirts in both English and Korean.
The pink dot was where we were supposed to meet, but the campaign got off to a shaky start when it was discovered that this meeting place had turned into a construction site!
That meant some hasty rearrangements by cell phone. We all met across the road on the sidewalk near Pagoda Park, as seen below. Unfortunately, the unexpected location change led to some people missing the rally.
Here is where we got prepared.
The first rallying point was at the main entrance of Pagoda Park. This is a very busy area with busy street and sidewalk traffic. We got a lot of attention and that was indication of how it would go later while walking through Insadong.
At the entrance of Pagoda Park.
Next we headed into Insadong, but it was so crowded that everyone started to become separated and spread out. We'll have to watch that doesn't happen next time. With a stop at an Insadong intersection everyone caught up, so that was OK.
Heading into Insadong's main drag
The great thing was that the rally generated a lot of interest and the response was very positive the whole afternoon.
I think it's a great idea of have dogs marching. They really turn heads and create a focal point of interest. They have an almost calming affect on the crowds.
The streets were really packed that day.
Whenever our KARA procession stopped, a crowd would gather around.
As well as the banners seen here and the messages broadcast to the crowd on a portable speaker, KARA members handed out fliers advertising the anti-dog meat petition being run by United Dogs at http://www.uniteddogs.com/stopkillingdogs. The red banner there is advertising the petition.
People were eager to take photos, no matter how funny they looked, so marchers often had to stop.
There were plenty of tourists around.
At one point the procession came alongside a group of disabled people who were fund raising. They loved to see the dogs.
That big white dog is named Sangkeene and he was a favorite wherever he went. Once an old guy came up, who was more than likely a little drunk, and held up his fingers, 1, 2, 4, 7! Then he started making eating motions. Clearly, he was indicating that big Sangkeene would make a good meal for 7 people. He was just having a joke, with a big grin on his face the whole time.
Even the old guys like him, the ones most likely to get aggressive, were in a good mood. In fact, the day was characterized by fun, good humor and a light hearted approach to get the message across. It worked out well for both KARA members and the crowds.
Here are some of the other dogs that came on the march with us. This one is Laddi, who lost a leg in a hunter's trap, getting a welcome rest cruising along in his Laddi-mobile.
An Afghan hound with owner in hot pants. Always nice to see.
These dogs seem very eager. Aww, come on, Mum, let's get going!
Here's a bunch of cute guys, posing when KARA members were getting a group shot taken. This was after walking through the main drag and heading over to a quiet rest area near a Buddhist temple.
There were welcome drinks for everyone because it was quite hot work. Some books were also on sale. After everyone had had a rest, it was time to pose for some group photos.
It was a good turn out. And another one.
Here's a gathering of some of the kids that came along, with none other than Sangkeene again.
After a rest, KARA thanked the celebrity guest, Lee Dongyup, who had joined us on the first part of the rally. Here he is with his pooch.
Other celebrities at the rally were Lee Jongku and Yeom Seungbak.
With the rest and formalities over, it was phase 2 of the rally, which was heading back down Insadong's main drag. There was no stopping this time but the procession still generated a lot of attention and caught people by surprise as we went on by.
As the sun was going down at the end of the walk, and a light drizzle was beginning to fall, KARA members gathered around for another speech and to give prayers for the dogs of Korea. Then it was time for us to head off into the madness of Seoul's Saturday afternoon traffic.
Despite a couple of glitches, this was a successful and fun event. Taking the dogs along for a walk was a great idea. The dogs seemed to really enjoy the outing too, so we'll have to do it again soon.
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I love you people! What a huge contrast from the horrible soulless looking people in the dog&cat "meat" industry. The things that are done to these beautiful, loving creatures are unspeakably evil.
