Wisconsin humane societies receive dogs rescued from dog meat farm in South Korea

Five dogs rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm arrived Thursday at Wisconsin humane societies as part of an international rescue mission to close dog meat farms in countries overseas. 

This was the first time Wisconsin has received dogs from a Humane Society International project that closed nine dog meat farms and relocated nearly 1,000 dogs since 2014, according to a news release from the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha. 

"This is what we do every day, but (the dogs) don't come from Korea every day," HAWS of Waukesha communications coordinator Jennifer Smieja said. "It's exciting because we are part of a bigger thing."

The five dogs that arrived in Wisconsin were rescued from a farm in Yesan, South Korea, which had 149 dogs, all of which will be transported to the United States this month. More dogs will be flown to Chicago and driven to Wisconsin in the coming weeks. 

"To prepare, the basics are to make sure we've read up on the possibilities. So our veterinarian staff have researched what kind of medical issues they might face," Smieja said. "Our behavioral staff has done some reading and have done work on puppy mill dogs before, so they know we might be dealing with shy or shut-down dogs."

Two dogs will be staying in HAWS of Waukesha — Penny, a German shorthaired pointer mix, and Harpo, a spaniel mix. Both the dogs are believed to be between 8 months and a year old. 

The other three dogs were transported to Sheboygan County Humane Society. 

Because the dogs are from a foreign country, the humane societies are anticipating dog breeds that are not as common in the U.S., such as the Korean Jindo and mastiff dogs. 

Those who are interested in adopting the dogs should begin putting in their applications, but it could be a few weeks before the South Korean dogs are ready to go to a home. HAWS of Waukesha will post on its Facebook page when the dogs are ready to adopt. 

"So far we are thrilled to see how quickly they are warming up and how quickly they are coming out of their shells, that is making a huge difference ... but we don't know how long it will be until they are ready to be adopted," Smieja said. 

Those who want to help HAWS of Waukesha or other humane societies care for the rescued dogs are encouraged to donate.