Saved from certain death: Puppies rescued from South Korean dog meat farm arrive in the US to find forever homes

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Ten puppies and their mothers who were destined to be butchered for meat in South Korea have made the long journey to San Francisco to start their new lives as someone’s beloved pets.

The animals were rescued in September by a team from Humane Society International as part of an operation to shut down a dog meat farm in Chungcheongnam-do.

In all, members of the organizations saved 103 canines from certain death and had the market razed to the ground, never to harm another living creature.

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Ruff start: This is one of 10 puppies that were flown to the US in late October, more than a month after being rescued from a dog meat farm in South Korea 

Airlifted: In total, the Humane Society International saved 103 pooches from the market that were destined to be butchered for human consumption

Appalling conditions: All the dogs were found living in filthy wire cages such as this one, awaiting to be electrocuted and slaughtered 

At the time of the rescue, the 10 newborn pups were too young to travel by plane, so they were kept in foster care in Seoul until last week, when officials with the Humane Society returned for them.

Among the rescued animals was one dubbed Adam, which has since been rechristened Freedom.

In a Q&A posted on Humane Society's website, HSI vice president Kitty Block described the moment tiny Adam took his first tentative steps on the grass outside the cage after his rescue, reducing members of her team to tears.

For the next few days, the HSI officials made the pooch their unofficial mascot, lodging him in their hotel, taking him along to press conferences and meetings, and even out to dinner.

‘Visiting these dog meat farms never gets any easier, and so it fills my heart with joy to know that these puppies have been spared a life misery, and instead will live lives of love and freedom and compassion, so different to the life of suffering and death that awaited them before we closed down the farm,’ Lola Webber, of HSI, said in a statement.

According to the rescue group, more than two million dogs a year are bred in South Korea for human consumption.

The animals, ranging from small Chihuahuas to hulking mastiffs, are kept in filthy, crowded wire cages with little food or water, and most are eventually dispatched by electrocution.

Reunited: The 10 pups were too young to make the long journey to San Francisco in September, so they left in foster care in Seoul until last October 

New lease on life: All the pups and their mothers will be offered for adoption in the US

At the time of the rescue, the dogs were described as emaciated and starved for human attention. The youngest pups were being kept in a 'nursery' on the farm  

Some are then sold to specialty restaurants, while others are simmered in a stew and sold directly to customers, reported the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. 

Dog meat is not a South Korean food staple, but it is believed to have cooling effects during the hot summer months and is also reputed to boost male potency.

The rescue of the 103 lucky pooches in late September was made possible after the HSI signed an agreement with the owner of the Chungcheongnam-do dog meat farm to shutter the operation for good in exchange for financial aid. 

HSI VP Block was there when the team first arrived at the farm in September, to discover row upon row of wire cages crammed with dogs living in overwhelming stench and filth.

‘I walked up to the cages and pressed my hands against the wires. The dogs threw themselves against the front of their cages just to be touched, just to lick your hand,’ she recounted. ‘They were so desperate for any human kindness.

‘They all were clearly too thin, but when we gave them food — they actually knocked over or stepped into their bowls just to be closer to us. They were more starved for affection than food.’ 

The farm was later destroyed, with all the wire cages broken up.

All the animals rescued by the organization were facing certain death. Some would have been sold to specialty restaurants, while others would have ended up in a stew and sold directly to customers

Dog meat is not a South Korean food staple, but it is believed to have cooling effects during the hot summer months and is also reputed to enhance male potency

Raze it to the ground: HSI officials signed a deal with the owner of the farm to dismantle his dog breeding operation in exchange for financial assistance 

This was the third such dog farm closure by the Human Society so far. The organization’s mission is to put an end to the trade in canine meat in Asia. 

There are currently 17,000 farms breeding dogs for human consumption that are registered in South Korea. 

‘There are thousands of dog farms in Korea, so we know full well that HSI doesn’t have the capabilities to close down every one ourselves, that’s not the goal,’ said Adam Parascandola , HSI director of animal protection and crisis response. ‘The goal is to show the government that closing them down and transitioning these farmers to other trades, is entirely possible.’ 

According to the HSI, the South Korean government is interested in phasing out the trade in dog meat, which has proven to be embarrassing for the country, ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The Humane Society offers willing farmers payment is exchange for closing down their operations, dismantling the infrastructure and switching to a different, non-animal crop.

The latest shutdown in September cost the organization $150,000, more than a third of it in transportation costs.