(The start of a better life for this guy.)

On Sunday, April 12, two KARA members, Yuni and Mr. Zang, spent a large chunk of their day helping out at Asan shelter. The shelter is about a 2 hour drive out of Seoul.

But first they traveled to Gimpo to save a 6 month old Golden Retriever whose owner was thinking about having him put to sleep. Mr. Zang heard the dog's life was on the line and stepped in to offer help.

The owner knew next to nothing about dogs and complained bitterly about how the retriever had chewed up an outdoor water faucet and the rubber lid on a water tank. He didn’t know that Golden Retrievers need something to chew on, like a bone.

It seemed like others in the neighborhood were equally poor in dog management. In this area of Gimpo there are western style houses with yards. But the dogs that were in some of the yards were all tied to small makeshift dog houses. Compared to the owner’s and their houses, the dog's had slum housing and a lack of freedom. Even though there is space, some Koreans still insist on short leashes and tying a dog up all day. They just don't seem to know any better.

When it was time to say go, the Golden Retriever jumped up on the owner’s young son to say his last goodbye. The little boy hugged him back and then the father waved and smiled goodbye to the dog--presumably glad to get rid of him. With any luck, and thanks to Mr. Zang and Yuni, the dog will have a chance at being given a safe and happy home with a more understanding and responsible owner.

On the way to the shelter, Yuni found that the dog's collar was too tight. This is a common problem in Korea. Owners put collars on too tight, not knowing any other way, or thinking it will better prevent dogs from running away. Sometimes they don't seem to notice that dogs get bigger.

Up in the mountains at the Asan shelter, the air was cool and spring cherry blossoms were in full bloom. It is a peaceful and serene area away from the noise and pollution of the city. When Yuni and Mr. Zang arrived, a friendly medium-sized Malamute with a twisted left leg limped towards them, wagging its tail, and enthusiastically welcomed the newcomer, the Golden Retriever.

Looking around the shelter area, it is a wonder how anyone has the energy to walk about the mountain caring for 200 dogs. It is quite an exercise just to walk up the hill to see some of the dogs and their accommodations. On the top of the mountain are the bigger dogs with permanent homes. They have plenty of room to run around and plenty of shelter from rain or snow. Down below, other dogs are stuck in temporary wire cages for a few weeks until their new homes could be built.

There is a Mongolian couple at the shelter who were hired as caretakers for all of the animals. The job keeps them very busy. When Yuni and Mr. Zang saw them, the husband was preparing uncooked pork meat and bones in chunks to give the dogs and his wife was busy pushing carts and attending to any sick animals.

The wife notifies the director quickly if any are sick. On this day there was a white terrier who had a fever and a swollen belly after having given birth to three puppies.

Mr. Zang, helping with vaccinations.

Besides Yuni and Mr. Zang, other Korean and foreign volunteers had come to the shelter this Sunday to help vaccinate dogs, but they had already left. There had been some drama that day. Three Korean volunteers were bitten by a dog, including the shelter's Director. The dog didn’t like being handled around the neck area and went crazy. The male veterinarian was bitten below his chin and on his hand. His girlfriend, a physical therapist, got bitten severely on her hand and skin was nearly ripped off. The Asan director received a deep puncture wound. They were treated in the emergency room at a nearby hospital.

The director and his wound.

Asan's director has animal welfare first and foremost on his mind. So, he's done a lot for the Asan shelter. He even had CCTV installed for security and so that anyone who wants to adopt a dog can see the dog via a monitor and make a decision.

Part of the CCTV setup.

He intends to keep managing the shelter for two more years. During that time, he wants to train new personnel as well as to hire well-educated managers to deal with the shelter's affairs.

The director is very critical of other animal welfare organizations that use private and public donations for enriching their personal lives instead of helping animals. Any news of misspent funds causes a decrease in donations and this is detrimental to honest dog shelter providers like him, especially in these hard economic times. In contrast to those kinds of people, his monthly salary is only 250,000 won. He says he requested that amount only because it covers the transportation fee going back and forth from Asan to meetings in Seoul.

He was full of praise and respect for the foreigner’s who take the time and trouble to ride on the KTX every weekend to volunteer at his shelter. He said he was ashamed of the Koreans who had abandoned their dogs and felt very sorry that foreigners are burdened with helping out the poor homeless animals.

Yuni and the Golden Retriever.

Foreigners also hold special fund raising events for the animal shelters in Korea and go to great lengths to have animals adopted out to good homes. Apparently, one foreign director who organizes the dog shelter trips and events actually ran into debt because of helping out at animal shelters so much.

The director was extremely proud of the volunteers who never skipped a weekend, come rain or shine to help at Asan Shelter by walking the dogs and providing the warmth of a human companionship. Every weekend, the dogs greatly anticipate their visits.

Hopefully, in the future, more and more people will get involved and awareness will be raised about the proper care and welfare of our companion animals.