Dogs rescued from a South Korean meat market are now safe and in Indian River County.
After rehabilitation, 11 of those dogs are now ready for adoption at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
One-year-old Hoodoo stole Joanne Longo’s heart. “He came right up into me, to hug and that was just It, he had me wrapped around his paw,” said Joanne Longo, who drove an hour from Cocoa to rescue Hoodoo.
He’s called a Korean Jindo, one of 30 rescued from a meat market in South Korea. They’re all different breeds. All now in good hands at the Humane Society of Vero Beach.
“They're not going to be familiar with what the inside of a car looks like or how to act but they're willing to learn,” explained Longo, who adopted Hoodoo today.
The dogs flew over 30 hours to get here. They were rescued by the Humane Society International team after living in poor conditions. A 2015 video shows dogs underweight and cramped in cages.
“They were kept in really depressing sad conditions and they had a horrible fate awaiting them,” explained Janet Winikoff, the director of education at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
Not anymore. Winikoff says everyday staff works with the dogs. Volunteers read them stories to help them adjust.
“For some of the dogs it was their first time being out on grass,” explained Winikoff. “We took them for walks. We gave them baths.”
Ryan Franklin, of Sebastian, is thinking of adopting a Mastiff named Emily and giving her a forever home.
“She deserves a better life and if i have the ability, i'd like to do that,” said Franklin.
Counselors at the Humane Society are working to find the best match for the dogs.
For more information, go to the Humane Society’s website at http://www.hsvb.org/