Our Freedom Flyer Rescue Program & How it All Began!
#CampCockerFreedomFlyers
Compassion knows no borders
In early 2017, we began to rescue dogs internationally. It all started with dogs from South Korea. We were already aware of the dog meat industry in Asia, and the many atrocities that accompany it. We also learned about breeding facilities and even a hoarding situation that kept many hundreds of dogs caged in filthy conditions. Fortunately, a vibrant core of compassionate animal activists in South Korea has been working to change that culture and lobbying to change the laws. They’re also engage in rescue.
WHO RESCUED WHO?
In recent years, we’ve currently been primarily working with one rescue group in South Korea. Cocker Friends (FKA The Cocker Moms) ia a group of Cocker Spaniel moms who go to shelters and other locations to save dogs that are in danger. They do not have a rescue facility and care for the dogs in their own homes until they (the dogs) are ready to fly to America, and they often pay for medical bills out of their own pockets. Camp Cocker Rescue’s goal is to reimburse the Cocker Friends for their expenses anytime they save a dog for us.
Rescue is rescue . . . is rescue . . . is rescue
We learned that in South Korea, there is a thriving puppy mill industry and that pet stores in all of the malls there sell puppy mill dogs. The most popular pet store dogs are the smaller breeds, like Poodles, French Bulldogs, Maltese, Cocker Spaniels, etc.
The puppy mill industry in South Korea is so profitable that much like the rural communities here in the midwestern and southern states, breeding puppies is a highly lucrative way to bring in cash for people that live in rural areas there. Often these puppy mills go undetected until someone reports them for health code violations.
The South Korean animal rescue volunteers must wait until a puppy mill is getting shut down before they can offer to take the dogs. When a puppy mill is shut down, it requires rescues to absorb a large volume of dogs all at once. These are dogs that are in rough shape, malnourished, most have never lived outside of the filthy cages they were born in.
We also learned about a hoarding situation where 1800 dogs were kept, cramped into extremely small spaces, and living in filth and neglect. As that facility was forced to close down, hundreds of dogs in need of basic needs and human interaction became available. We feel especially grateful that we’ve also been able to rescue many of these dogs!
We began agreeing to take in Cocker Spaniels from South Korea in early 2017, and affectionately dubbed them Freedom Flyers! Some have been middle-aged but for the most part, most of them have been young dogs (five years and under).
Camp Cocker rarely gets the chance to rescue young cockers from local shelters
Since Camp Cocker rarely gets a chance to save a young Cocker Spaniel from our local California shelters - unless the dog has been hit by a car or has some sort of major medical issue - these international rescues provide additional opportunities for adopters here in the states to provide a home for younger Cocker Spaniels.
#CampCockerFreedomFlyers
Saving the world . . . just one dog at a time
In our minds, when we take one dog from South Korea, that opens up another spot for the rescuers there to take in a new dog that otherwise might not be given a chance to be rescued from of a life of misery.
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🎉🎉 2023 Freedom Flyer News 🎉🎉
Camp Cocker now has brand new International Rescue Partners in Mongolia! Read about it HERE.
SOME OF THE #CampCockerFreedomFlyers WHO HAVE BENEFITTED DIRECTLY FROM CAMP COCKER’S FREEDOM FLYER PROGRAM WITH SOUTH KOREA SINCE JANUARY 2017
#CampCockerFreedomFlyers