This Woman Lives With 200 Dogs She Rescued From Death In South Korea
A South Korean woman is reportedly raising over 200 dogs she saved from abandonment or death.
According to Mashable, 61-year-old Jung Myoung Sook began taking in dogs 26 years ago after finding several that had been abandoned in rice paddies for days.
She soon discovered more dogs were about to be sold to dog traders for meat farms and restaurants and used her own money to buy them from sellers.
Jung continues to rescue stray dogs on the streets and house them with the others in a hillside compound in Asan, South Korea.
The shelter was opened in 2014 after Jung moved seven times due to complaints from neighbors about the noisy pets.
Dogs have only recently become popular pets in South Korea, where 81,000 stray animals -- mostly dogs and cats -- were sent to public shelters in 2014, according to the Associated Press.
Many of these animals are apparently euthanized at public shelters if they are not adopted or claimed.
My babies aren't hungry. They can play and live freely here. Some people talk about me, saying, 'Why is that beggar-like middle-aged woman smiling all the time,' but I just focus on feeding my babies. I'm happy and healthy.
Jung's only sources of income are her job cleaning a store and the recyclable boxes she collects.
She reportedly spends about $1,600 a month on food and medicine, but it appears a great deal of the food comes from donations sent by friends, relatives and strangers.
Park Hye-soon owns a restaurant in the area and has given leftover food to Jung for four years.
He said,
[Jung] lives only for her dogs, without doing much for herself.
Officials in Asan do not have the responsibility to inspect Jung's shelter, so the health of the dogs is unclear.
Jung admitted some of the dogs die in fights with each other, but she insisted most of them are well-fed and disease-free.
The animals reportedly looked fine during a recent visit from the AP.
Citations: This woman is raising 200 dogs she saved from death in South Korea (Mashable), Korean woman raises 200 dogs saved from streets, restaurants (Associated Press)
