Love was really in the air for four lucky puppies being raised for meat in South Korea who we rescued with our partner Jindo Love Rescue just days before Valentine’s Day.

These sweet pups, who are all under 6 months old, were being kept caged together in deplorable conditions by a man who was raising them for dog meat soup. They were barely fed and not given water, and were in sad shape when we found them.

Fortunately, our foster mom was able to negotiate their freedom, thanks to mounting pressure to stop this cruel practice ahead of the implementation of the country’s historic ban on dog meat; the property owner didn’t want her to report him to police and city officials.

Now, these puppies who we named Halo, Zen, Joy, and Saint are safe at our foster center in Gimhae getting the love and care they need.

Despite the neglect they experienced in their short lives, although they’re underweight, they’re all otherwise remarkably healthy and settling in well. 

We’re so grateful to have been able to step in and rescue them from a horrific fate, and that they’re getting a second chance to become beloved members of a family, and we’ll continue to save as many as we can before the ban goes into effect in 2027. 

According to the Korea Times, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has reported that about 40% of the 1,537 registered dog meat farms have voluntarily shut down, but there’s still a way to go before this industry finally ends and there are many more dogs in need of help. 

If you’re interested in adopting a dog from South Korea, you can learn more about adopting and contact Jindo Love Rescue through Facebook to start the application process.

Even if you can’t adopt, you can still help by sharing the stories about our dogs and supporting our ongoing rescue efforts in South Korea by making a donation and spreading the word about our ongoing need for flight volunteers to courier dogs to new homes.