By Jason Cresswell
Contributing Writer
There is a reason why there is a saying about using ``puppy eyes'' to get something that you want. Those puppy eyes really do have an effect on us. That effect is amplified when we know that the one staring at us with those puppy eyes is in real danger.
That is what led to my wife and me adopting a second dog, an English Cocker Spaniel that we now call Casey. By the way, Casey is sleeping on my lap, his favorite place to be, as I type this story.
So, what led to us adding to our family? It was an e-mail sent by Annie Sauvageau to the members of Animal Lovers in Korea, a Yahoo! Group that I am a member of. What was the subject of the e-mail? ``Shelter in Daejeon being closed. 150 Dogs at Risk of Euthanasia''
That certainly got my attention, so as the e-mail advised, I visited the site www.lonelylifetime.com to get more information. Once I arrived at the site, I began to scan down the long list of dogs looking for a home. We have often talked about adding another dog to our home in Korea, but were thinking of exploring that option in the New Year.
Then, I came across a picture of Tim Vasudeva, an animal rescuer living in Seoul, holding a beautiful English Cocker Spaniel. I was fixated, unable to imagine this poor little guy being sent to a pound and then put to sleep. It just didn't seem right. I knew that if I showed my wife the picture and explained the situation, it would be all but a done deal. I wondered for a few minutes if it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
Well, the problem is that there's no time left to think about it. These dogs have until the end of October before the shelter is closed for good, and that means almost certain death for the majority of the dogs who can't find foster homes or adoptive families.
Why is this happening? This no-kill shelter was never authorized to be in operation. It was started by a kind Korean woman who had a love of dogs and wanted to protect them. Over time, more and more animals found their way to her shelter, and eventually, she was taking care of over 150 dogs ranging across a variety of breeds and mixes.
The problem is that her shelter is located on a greenbelt, which is designated as being a zone that is not supposed to be built upon. For a while, local officials looked beyond this but soon all the dogs will all be moved to pounds where if not placed in homes within a short period, they will be killed.
So, how can you help? Sauvageau says there are several ways. ``People can help by adopting, fostering, or by donating time or money.'' The most critical need right now is to find temporary or permanent homes for these dogs. If someone is able to keep a dog for a short term until a permanent home can be found then it makes a big difference.
Offering to foster a dog can be tricky. It is difficult to know if the dog will be with you for two days or two months until a permanent home can be found. However, foster homes play a special role. After having spent some time with the dog, a foster family is able to indicate what type of personality the dog has in order to find the right permanent family.
If you are unable to have pets in your apartment, there are other ways to help. Please contact Tim Vasudeva in Seoul at
or Annie Sauvageau in Daejeon at
. Visit the site
.
For our part, we've been able to help a bit by making a donation at the shelter, and mostly by helping make others aware through our web site www.youloveit.com. You can make a donation, send a group e-mail, or post to your own blog. It only takes minutes.
So, how did things end for us? Well, as suspected, we were on our way from Daegu to Daejeon after a couple of days of e-mailing Tim and Annie about the specifics. Annie met us in Daejeon and led us to the shelter. Both Tim and Annie are in contact to make sure everything is going well and that the dogs are getting along. These two are extremely dedicated to this cause and it is inspiring. It is certainly worth it when those puppy eyes are staring at you when you wake up in the morning. You can almost imagine that they are saying, ``Thank you.''
Jason Cresswell