Helping Dogs Rescued from the South Korean Meat Trade

To look at one-year old Liam, an adorable Labrador retriever mix, you would be hard pressed to guess all that he’s been through in his short life.  Liam eyes every visitor to the dog room at the Adoption Center and barks to make sure he’s got your attention.  Liam is one of five dogs that we brought back from a Maryland rehabilitation center last month.  They were part of a group of approximately 120 dogs rescued from the South Korean Meat Trade that were being cared for by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Second Chance has long partnered with the HSUS as an emergency placement partner and we are often called upon to help with cases like this.  South Korea is currently contemplating a dog meat ban and the farm where Liam and the other dogs came from is transitioning to growing cabbage and other crops through the Humane Society International/South Korea’s “Model for Change Program”. We are proud to work with the HSUS to give these dogs the best start at a new life.

All five dogs are doing amazing.  They’ve obviously been through a lot in their short lives, but the dogs have made great progress.  They were so shy when we first met them, and we have been in awe watching them get brave enough to explore our play yard and begin to come out of their shells.

Since they’ve never had the chance to be a dog, they will need patient families who can help with things like walking on leash who are ready to give them the great life they deserve. Liam is currently available for adoption. Jackson, Star and Buttons are still at the our Almost Home facility in North Brookfield where shelter pets entering Massachusetts complete their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and receive any care they may need before they are ready for adoption.  They are just waiting for kennel space to open up at the adoption center so they too can find their forever homes.  The fifth pup is being fostered and we suspects he has already stolen his foster’s heart.

If  you are interested in adopting one of these special pups, you can find the available dogs’ bios on our adoptable dog page or come visit during adoption hours: Monday through Friday – 10am to 3pm, Thursday evenings from 5 to 7pm and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm.

Want to help more pets like Liam get their second chance?  Your donation can save lives! Thank you.

She lead the way across the open field heading back to the parking lot when I saw a man waving at me. He asked if he could say hi to my dog and we approached a couple on a morning walk.   “We just said good-bye to our dog of 15 years” he told me with that crack in his voice that I know all too well.  “I could see her looking at us and I just needed to say hi.”

“She’s not my dog. She lives at Second Chance Animal shelter,” I told the older couple that wanted to introduce themselves to my little black companion.  “They call her Socks, I call her Nelly or Nell.”  She approached the man and rose on her hind legs and gave him a hug. He smiled and laughed and hugged her back.   I told her down, she sat down in front of him.  I made a click sound with my mouth and she turned and came to me.  I gave her the hand cue to sit.  She sat.  I gave her the hand cue to lay down.  She did.  I told her to come up, she came up and got a treat.  “She has me trained well.” I smiled at them.

“She is such a good girl,” they said.  “She’s so smart,” they noticed.  She sat beside me as we spoke and then she approached the woman and startled her as she jumped up to give her a hug too.  She laughed and petted her and hugged her back.  “She is so sweet.”

“She’s a hugger,” I said, grinning.

I told them I take her out a couple times a week.  We discussed her life at the shelter and the training and conditioning we have been doing together.  They told me I was a good person for doing what I was doing.  What they did not know is that this girl has done as much for me as I have done for her.  Nell came into my life and into the shelter at a time when I needed her and I knew that she was going to need me.  And so, she became “my girl” from that day until the day she goes to her new home.

So, because of the amazing program at Second Chance called ‘Dogs Day Out’ this girl and I have spent so much time together these past few months. We have hiked a lot of miles in the summer heat, playing in the autumn leaves and walking briskly through the winter snow and wind.  I took a week off from work at the beginning of the fall and spent it with her and we hiked almost 50 miles in 6 days at about 10 different locations.  She is truly a great companion. She is a great friend.  She is a great dog.

I’ve been volunteering at SCAS for years now and every pup I have met is amazing in their own way. Some I only meet once and never see them again and some stay longer so I get to know them better. I get dogs, I just get them.  And now and again I meet one that just gets me.  And this girl gets me. You see, eventually I plan to work with dogs/animals full time; so behavior and training are things I am constantly studying and reading about. I’m always trying to develop my conditioning methods and skills so, finding a girl like Nell that is so intelligent and emotionally complex was like finding a real hidden gem.  A true diamond in the ruff!

I started this blog with the story about the couple mourning the passing of their beloved dog and wanting to say hi to Socks/Nell for a reason.  I tell that story because it is not the only time it happened.  There have been several times where someone asked if they could say hi to her.  Because she was looking at them like she wanted to say hi. And she walked over and hugged them, and they smile and laugh and embrace her and tear up and with that crack in their voice that tells me that they just lost their dog.   Coincidence? Maybe. Or does she just have a sense?  I don’t know but it has happened enough that it makes me wonder.

If I had the home and the yard that she needs and deserves she would be my girl forever.  There is no question about that.  But I have made a promise to her.  I promised her that with all my heart, the staff and I would find her the perfect people to take her home for good and give her the Second Chance that she deserves.

If my girl sound like the friend you are looking for come by and say hi and maybe we can all go for a hike.  Or maybe just stop in for a free hug.

Mike -long time SCAS volunteer

Blue was just a young husky pup when he was surrendered to Second Chance by a local animal control officer.  He was clearly uncomfortable and pawing at his red eyes.  Upon closer examination, our vets found he had limited to no vision, possibly from birth.  He needed to start daily eye medication right away and needed an experienced foster so he could begin treatment.  Thankfully Second Chance works with many rescue groups.  A contact that had worked with a husky rescue for years was able to temporarily foster this pup and helped find a long term foster while Blue’s medical needs were addressed.

Blue found a true champion when he met his foster.  She had adopted rescue huskies for many years, most had been abused or neglected. She’d never had a blind dog before, but she was determined to help Blue and did some quick research.

Eye drop time for Blue

She ordered blind toys like meat scented fetching balls & squeaky toys and also ordered a scent kit to put certain scents with certain things.  The food and water bowls got one scent, dangerous areas like stairs got another scent.

“Mostly, it was just spending time with him and teaching him that when I say, “wait,” he needs to stop until I say something else.  I.E.- I say, “wait” at the top of the stairs, and then I say, “step” for each stair he needs to walk down.  In all honesty, he figured out my house and yard very quickly based upon his own trial & error.  The eye doctor said he’s very adaptable because he’s been blind for most of his life.  I really thought he’d require much more work.

He’s smart and sweet.  The real secret for Blue was the same as every husky, daily exercise.  Our beach walk keeps him very satisfied for the rest of the day. My husband passed from cancer in March and my two 13-year-old huskies passed within the last year, so frankly Blue has done more for me than I for him.”

We are happy to report that this foster has fallen for Blue and last week he was officially ADOPTED!

Blue and his owner out for their morning walk.

Finian was just 25 lbs when he came to us, severely malnourished, dehydrated and anemic.  He had been eating anything he could, just to survive and was living in extremely harsh conditions when he was seized by local law enforcement and signed over to Second Chance. He weighed only 25 pounds when a dog his size should be 45 pounds. He also tested positive for heartworm, Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, but we had to focus on getting his weight up slowly so we don’t make him sicker after not eating a good diet for so long.

He’s made great strides and last week he came in for his first immiticide treatment for heartworm. He did great. And he is over 40 lbs!!

He got love from everyone at the hospital and was excited to see all of us.  We are so grateful for all the support to make his second chance possible. THANK YOU!

He LOVES to play ball and is looking for his forever home. To learn more, visit: secondchanceanimals.org/adoptable-dogs/

“The dusty white cargo plane stood out among the gleaming corporate jets, as did its passengers: 48 barking dogs, newly arrived at the private air terminal at Hanscom Field, outside of Boston.

They had left Mississippi that morning with their health certificates taped to their kennels. All week, the staff at Oktibbeha County Humane Society (OCHS), in Starkville, Miss., had been getting them ready, giving them their shots, testing their temperaments, and color-coding each crate for its destination: red for Second Chance Animal Services in North Brookfield, Mass.”

Read journalist Andrew Blum’s “How America Saved Millions of Pets-By Moving Them”

Advice from Second Chance Founder & CEO Sheryl Blancato

Maybe you have your heart set on a Golden Retriever or a French Bulldog.  You’ve been visiting your local shelter and shelter websites with no luck.  In fact, there’s not as many pets to choose from as there were a few years ago and you wonder how you’ll ever find your new furry family member.

Animal transports are not a new thing, but with so few pets locally surrendered to shelters here in New England, the practice has greatly increased.  How do you know that the pet you are getting is not from a puppy mill?

As with everything, opportunity sometimes fosters a negative side.  Transporting pets from overcrowded shelters where they are at risk of euthanasia to shelters in areas where families are waiting to adopt is a wonderful thing.  It saves so many lives.  Local pets should always be the first priority, but when that number has declined to a point that a shelter or rescue has room to help pets from other states too, it is a good way to save more lives.

Prospective pet owners need to be careful though.  There are people out there posing as rescues when they are not. In animal welfare, there are lots of names for them like “puppy flippers.”  There are flags to watch out for and alert you to do further investigation.  If you live in Massachusetts and you find a pet online that you want to adopt, beware if they will only meet you in Connecticut or somewhere else over the border.  That tells you that they are not registered in the state of Massachusetts.  There is a mandatory 48-hour quarantine requirement for all pets entering Massachusetts from other states.  They may be trying to avoid that and once they leave the drop off site, you can be left on your own if the pet gets sick.  You can find legitimate, registered organizations listed on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources website.

There is also a growing trend of people bringing puppies into the state without health certificates and claiming that they raised the puppies.  These pets may actually be from puppy mills.  You should always ask to see the parents of the puppies, or at the very least the mom.  If they refuse, beware.  If they have several different breeds available, that should also be a red flag warranting further investigation.  Reputable breeders usually only breed one or two breeds. They do it to further the bloodline of their beloved breed.  They care deeply about the offspring and will often require a contract before you can take one of their pups home.

We all need to be sure that when we are adopting a pet that we are helping that pet and not supporting a puppy mill.  We need to be sure that transporting is done safely for the pets and not putting them at risk.  There are best practices that all shelters and rescues follow when bringing pets in from out of state.  A truck on the side of the road, tightly packed floor to ceiling with crates and poor airflow who are handing out pets to those that have cash is not one of them.  Let’s all work together to ensure that all pets are safe and that we don’t unknowingly support the practice of puppy mill operations.

Dixie was just four months old when she was adopted from Second Chance.  Despite a positive meet and greet with her new 3-year-old sister Dakota, things got off to a rocky start. “There were several issues in the beginning with puppy curiousness and not knowing personal space.”  Their owners kept a close eye to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.

“I’m told it was the puppy finding her place in the family…In the beginning I was so close to bringing Dixie back because I didn’t think it was fair to her for us to be so focused or controlling of them playing…I loved her to pieces and didn’t want to. I made the appointment to return her but arriving there, getting ready to hand over her leash, that look she gave me…I just couldn’t.

Now 10 months later they are inseparable…Dixie follows her sister Dakota everywhere…They have fun playing & when Dakota has had enough she has this bed- we call it the ‘I’m done, time to take a break bed’ – she goes there, lays down & Dixie is right beside her, which is fine for both of them apparently. So we all ended up living happily ever after! I’m so glad I gave it more time…I couldn’t imagine her not being part of the family.”