Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rteacher]

Here's a link to the facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5682343876

[Bramble]

I just read the most recent announcement on Facebook. Does this mean the extension was officially denied?

[matthews_world]

There have been a few hits regarding this thread and wondering if it would be allowed for Rteacher to give out the bank account information of the volunteer shelter so that interested parties can donate their hard-earned money to a good cause?

I doubt us teachers who will be year for a year or less could give these dogs what they really need.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to get this ball rolling and get out awareness about the event.

[Rteacher]

I didn't see any announcement like that - but that would make it more urgent to get dogs adopted. Maybe all the foster care-givers should bring their dogs to Itaewon and work the crowd to find people ready to adopt.

My understanding is that donations can be made to Dr. Lee's bank account, which goes toward basic vet work that he does for the dogs, and he will continue to be used. Here's what Tim emailed me about that:

In relation to donations, my personal opinion is that it is better for people to donate directly to Dr Lee�s clinic in Daejeon (the Royal Animal Clinic) which does most of the vet work for the rescue dogs from the shelter. That way people can have a greater degree of confidence that their money is going directly toward assisting the dogs. You can also call Dr Lee�s fiancee Hyunjoo on 011 805 4433 and she can confirm the arrangements and the work that has been done by the clinic for the dogs so far. (Dr Lee is also featured in the third video above). If you have friends who can speak Korean they can also call Dr Lee directly at the clinic on 042 476 7585 or his mobile 017 655 8720
Dr Lee�s account details are:
Kookmin Bank
Acc No 501 21 1081 713
Acc Name Lee Gi Sung

However, Tim, the main organizer for the group, also uses a vet in Seoul for more serious - and expensive - treatments for dogs afflicted with the Parvo virus. Here is a description of it from one of their volunteers:

...as Annie said, we rescued four puppies (about 2-3 months) from a very bad circumstance at the pound in Daejeon. Two unfortunately tested positive for Parvo. Two of them tested negative, however, parvo takes 8-10 days to show up, and is easily transmittable through dogs through feces. It is a very strong virus that can live outside of a body or host for up to 8 months, and can withstand extreme cold and heat, making it a very dangerous virus. We have since brought the pups up to Seoul for treatment.

For those of you who do not know, parvo is a very serious doggie virus that dogs, especially puppies with an inadequate immune system, can easily acquire. It is similar to panleukemia in cats. What the parvo virus does is it attacks cells in the body, and causes them to split rapidly, so in essence, it attacks the blood cells, etc. It starts primarily in the intestinal tract, which leads to severe dehydration, diarrhea, loss of blood in the bowel movements, loss of appetite, and severe doggy flu. It can also affect the heart muscle, and the dog can just drop dead in an instant.

If not treated right away, a puppy can die within 3-5 days, so we must act fast! What the vet will do is put them on an iv for dehydration, fight the virus with antiviral meds, and, often times, blood transfusions are needed. They must also stay in warm enclosures, be fed very often, and receive some TLC. If treated, 80% of puppies survive, but if not, 80% of puppies die. The ones that do survive without treatment have a poor, very weak body, and a sad life. If treated, although the dog will be a little weaker, it can have a very close to normal life!

As Annie said, the treatments are very expensive, and I will not divulge that here. If you want to donate, and really want to know, I will be happy to discuss the doggy details with you. If everyone can find it in their hearts to pitch in maybe 10,000 won, we would have a good start on these treatments, and be able to work to get these pups healthy again. Please consider this, as no puppy should have to endure this.

So donations given directly to the group - like through this benefit or to their paypal option on their website - will go toward those treatments - and also toward the cost of buying dog food.

Group member Annie ("Shannonnation") also posted this information about donations:

CLARIFICATION!!
We do need a lot of money for all the animals we rescue, so any money will be used toward them.

HOWEVER, those of you who want to donate for the 4 sick puppies specifically: don't send the money into Dr. Lee's account.
The puppies are at Tim's vet in Seoul and if the money is transferred into Dr. Lee's account, we won't be able to use it toward the pups.
Contact Tim or myself for donations.
Annie
[email protected]
010-4566-2322

Tim
[email protected]
010 8940 5233

[Rteacher]

I think I'll repost what Tim ("timvas") posted earlier in the thread:

Haven't been posting on Dave's long enough to have attended a Dave's gathering before, so given I am one of the hosts I should include a pic (below). If you see some clown who looks like this speaking with an Australian drawl on Friday night you're welcome to accost me with any queries re the dog shelter, Animal Rescue Korea, the Lonely Lifetime rescue group or if you just want me to organise an impromptu Atheist vs Christian or Fruitarian vs Omnivore arm-wrestle tournament - I also promise to buy a beer for anyone who has posted nice things about any of our dog or cat rescue threads in the past. (Actually - scratch that, if you turn up & come see me wearing a nametag with your Dave's username I will buy you a beer regardless). Shame they don't have any Australian beers at the Rocky Mountain - I could have introduced everyone to the legendary Melbourne Bitter...

We will also be holding a raffle on the night, first prize is an iPod Nano, with a bunch of other prizes as well.



For anyone who isn't familiar with the Daejeon shelter, it is a privately run shelter on a farm in Daejeon - the lady who runs it (Mrs Jung) is basically a kind soul who can't say no to homeless dogs so she has had people dumping their unwanted dogs at her farm for years. Now the person she rents the farm from wants her to move out and the council have given her until the end of this month to get rid of the dogs. We managed to secure an extension last year until the end of Feb & we have requested another extension but I have no idea whether this will be granted or not - I imagine it depends upon how quickly the council and the owner of the property want Mrs Jung and the dogs off the property (ie whether the number of dogs is reducing quickly enough for their liking). There were 210 dogs there in mid 2007, as of last Saturday there are 118, so (allowing for a few puppies born in the interim) we have rehomed over 100 dogs in 8 months. This is good progress, but we are not even half-way there and we are running out of time.

Below are a couple of videos which will give you an idea of what we are dealing with, the first was taken in June last year and the second was taken two weeks ago (the reduction in the number of dogs is noticeable, although there is obviously still a long way to go)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqX9Jc5aRBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GNTfHdXMI&feature=related

If the extension is granted we will need financial support to assist our ongoing expenditure re feeding the dogs (between myself and the Macquarie Bank Group Foundation we are spending 600-700,000 won per month on dog food alone) in addition to their veterinary care (regular & emergency/one-off). If we do not receive an extension then we will probably need to pay other welfare groups to take some of the dogs in an attempt to reduce the number who will otherwise be sent to the council shelters (which now only have a 10 day wait before unclaimed animals are put to sleep).

Also, if anyone is interested in visiting the shelter they are welcome to join our regular Saturday visits - I take volunteers, adopters and fosterers down to Daejeon from Seoul on the KTX every Saturday. Even if you can't adopt or foster a dog yourself the dogs really appreciate people coming to take them for walks, they get very little exercise as Mrs Jung is flat-out trying to look after them all - they get very little one-on-one attention unless it is from volunteers. In addition, some of the dogs (like the ones below) are too shy/scared to go for walks so we just carry them around each week until ultimately they are comfortable enough with people to possibly be adopted.

So please do come along and join us in a few drinks for a good cause.

[The Bobster]

Just wanted to give the thread friendly bump on the day of ...

[twg]

wait... is someone seriously trying to turn carnivores into herbivores by feeding them meatless food, or did I misread a quote?

[The Bobster]

Had a vegan housemate once who tried to make her cat one, too. Ever seen feline tears?

Be kind to animals. All I'm saying.

[Rteacher]

I think that dogs like grains, vegetables, and fruits - along with meat. My aunt's dogs love carrots, rice and pasta.

I think that they can get most of the protein they need from soy products. For meat, it's more natural for dogs to eat chicken rather than beef - I don't think most dog breeds can bring down and kill a cow for food.

And if even the beef that's marketed for human consumption can be tainted to the tune of nearly 140 million pounds that had to be recalled last week, it's hard to imagine the quality of meat they put in dog food.

One bright prospect for the "Dave's gathering" aspect of the benefit is that "kermo" has returned to Korea. She may be jet-lagged, but she told me she'd try to make it to RMT.

And "bobster", I've decided to forego the "Thai Gardens" dinner myself due to budget constraints (I'm bring a soy steak sandwich from home) but I hope to meet you and compare flashbacks of an earlier - just as crazy if not more so - era...

[Morton]

Me and some friends are going to come along tonight but we will arrive a bit later. Will it still be worth it if we come after 11?

[Bramble]

To Maggie, Tim, Annie and everyone else who was involved in organizing the event - congratulations and thanks! You guys are an inspiration.

I really hope the dogs get another extension.

[gajackson1]

Dangit - didn't catch this one in time (which is a surprise, because I TOOK RYST TO LUNCH TODAY!!!); C & I would have made it out and/or networked it through our other Itae/HBC friends.

It's a fine cause tho, and we will do what we can after-the-fact.

Regards,

Glen & Christina

[SeoulShakin]

Just got home, and had a good night!

Had a couple of people from this site come and introduce themselves, and they were very kind.

I'm leaving in a week, but I think I've convinced my roomie to foster a dog.

To those who put this all together - you're doing a great thing, and I hope that you are granted an extension to further your good work.

[blurgalurgalurga]

Thanks, all of you good people, for helping the dogs.
I hope all of you who contributed, even if it was only a little bit, feel good about it.
But I also hope that you don't stop. I hope you keep going.
There's many other animals out there suffering. Four legged, two legged, no-legged, you name it...I ain't picky, and I don't want to invite a pissing contest where folks try to say one kind of pain is worse than another kind. Whatever. Pain is pain, and minimizing the pain that you see, and comforting the wounded ones who cross your path, is always good.
Thanks again, eh.

[kermo]

I showed up for the first couple sets, and was very pleased to see what a success it was. People were buying raffle tickets all over the place too. Additional kudos to whoever took all those doggie pictures-- they had a lot of character, and really added to the atmosphere. Well done all 'round!