Articles
Stories and advice from animal rescue volunteers and pet parents. Written between 2006 and 2014.
Adoption
3 articles-
Before You Adopt
Adoption is a promise to care for an animal for his or her entire lifetime-- when she gets sick, when you change apartments, jobs, or country, when you get married or have kids-- not just while you…
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Alternatives to Adopting a Pet: Ways to Help an Animal If You Can't Provide a Forever Home
As someone who has grown up with dogs and cats, I understand the desire of many expats to have a pet. Unfortunately, I also understand that, all too often, the life of an expat living abroad is…
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The Story of a Pet Shop Dog
When you pass by the windows of pet shops and see all the cute little bundles of fur, it really tugs at your heartstrings, doesn't it? They are so cute and small, and you feel the need to love and…
Helping Animals
11 articles-
Rescuing an Animal From the Street
This article gives an overview of options for helping street cats, stray dogs, or abused animals you've observed in your neighbourhood. It is a condensed version of an article originally written for…
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A Positive Dog Trainer in Seoul: Karolina Kaminski
Clare Mills teaches English in Cheonan and volunteers at the Jane World shelter in Asan. When two mixed-breed puppies were found on the grounds of her school—just 10 days old and suffering from…
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Seeking Happiness for Abandoned Animals: Lucky, Lulu, and the Itaewon Adoption Campaign
“Here are best friends under mercy killing, TODAY!” “If not adopted, they are killed.” The signs are in English and Korean. A team of Korean volunteers wear bright orange vests-- one cuddles a silver…
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Dogs in the Countryside
August was quite a humid and warm month in Korea. It was also a very wet month. At times it would rain for a whole week with only a slight pause. Such was the week of August 5th. I joined a friend to…
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RSPCA in Korea: The Coffee Is Always Waiting
A friendly 10-year-old spaniel named Sunny is admitted to a shelter. Sunny has sarcoptic mange, but the shelter has no isolation room. A foster family is available, but the family has two young…
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RSPCA in Korea: A Surprise Meeting
Paul Littlefair of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) (a charity based in the United Kingdom) is diplomatic when he talks about Korean shelters. In terms of catching,…
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Korean Phrases for Helping Chained Dogs
When I see a chained or caged dog these days, I’m no longer surprised. My heart still aches for every one. Luckily, I’ve had the chance to get a couple off their chains, but even if I can’t rescue…
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Puppy Mill in Daejeon
On Friday, April 21st, 2006 I witnessed something that I was unprepared for, a problem I had read about but had not yet seen. As a guardian of a dog I love dearly and an animal lover in general, I…
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How to Find a Home for a Homeless Animal in Korea
Whether you're volunteering at a Korean shelter that has dozens of adoptable animals or you've rescued a stray in your neighbourhood and have had no luck finding the owner, this article provides…
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15 Ways to Help a Chained Dog
You see a dog on your way to work. His collar has been on so long that he has a permanent mark around his neck. His dish is full of spicy-looking leftovers. The chain he’s tied to gives him about 90…
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Fostering 101
Fostering, or temporarily caring for a homeless pet, is a wonderful way to help Korean animals. It is ideal for expats who cannot adopt animals here but miss their cats/dogs back home. The animal…
Lost Pets
4 articles-
Helping a Stray Cat or Dog
You're a true life saver if you've brought home a stray cat or dog, preventing harm by car accident, starvation, pregnancy, and other miseries. Not every animal found on the street is abandoned,…
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Prevent Losing a Pet
Many people have voiced these precautionary measures as being helpful to their pet's safety. This list was compiled from comments by ARK members on the Facebook page with additional links and…
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What To Do When You Lose Your Pet
This list of what do to if you lose your dog or cat in Korea was compiled from advice posted online as well as research. If you have additional tips, please post a comment below so it can be added to…
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Locating the Owner of a Lost Pet
Mero in Seoul found a stray in her neighbourhood. She did everything she could to find the owner and was successful after several days of searching. I learned from her story about how to make sure…
Pet Care
2 articles-
Inappropriate Elimination Is Frustrating!
Last year I adopted two stray kittens and I thought, like most people, that cats would naturally gravitate towards the litter box to do their business. Turns out, not all cats have this inclination!…
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Heartworms - An Outline on the Disease
The following is a simple outline on heartworm – what it is and how to prevent, treat, and do further research on the disease.
Pet Travel
2 articles-
The How-to of Flying Your Pet Rabbit Home
(Based on a Korea to Canada Experience) Last summer, my husband and I left Korea to come back to Canada with our two rabbits. It was a bit of a complicated process, but well worth it to make sure our…
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Air Travel With a Pet
Travelling with a pet can be easy if you're prepared. Although my experience has been flying with dogs between Canada and Korea, many of the links below and all the basic steps will be useful for…
Rehoming
3 articles-
Before Rehoming Your Pet
Some of the most common reasons foreigners in Korea have for giving up a pet include not having enough time, complaints from landlords or neighbours, and the cost of travelling home. Many of these…
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Landlords - Suggestions on How to Deal With Issues
Landlord issues are sadly common in Korea for those with pets. There are many cases where tenants are allowed to have a pet, then the landlord simply reneges their permission later. Sometimes…
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"Getting Rid Of" a Beloved Pet
A word of advice to those out there who are not able to keep their pets, for whatever reason. Please don't say that you have to "get rid of" your cat or dog, rabbit or hamster, etc. Whenever I first…
Volunteering
5 articles-
Ways to Help Korean Animals
Wondering what you can do to get involved helping animals in Korea? Here's a short list to get you started: Adopt By choosing to adopt instead of buying from a pet shop or breeder, you give a…
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Trap-Neuter-Return in Seoul
This article was compiled by interviewing five women involved in the Korean Government run Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in Seoul in December, 2012. These women are volunteers, giving their…
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The Doggywog Who Touched the Sun: How One Korean Pup Found a New Home in Canada
Oct 12th is the big day. That’s when a lovely sun stained Shih Tzu from South Korea will be coming to my hometown of Nanaimo, B.C. When Sue, a very close family friend, came to visit my parents one…
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Dog Days of Asan: My Experiences as a Volunteer
It was a time unlike any other: my romantic relationship crumbled and then the tsunami hit Japan. Of course, in my mind, external reality merely reflected the turmoil and emotional chaos that was…
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Korea’s Forgotten National Treasures
Three years ago a struggling dog rescuer in Daejeon was facing eviction and a dedicated group of volunteers pitched in to help. Active outreach and effective social networking saved the “Daejeon…
