WHO RESCUED WHO?

We work with 2 different rescues in South Korea.

- The Cocker Moms (that is our affectionate nickname for them) They do not have a formal non profit organization. They are simply a group of Cocker Spaniel moms who go to shelters to try to save dogs in danger. They do not have a rescue facility and often have to pay for medical bills out of their own pocket. We always want to reimburse them anytime they save a dog for us, because it is the right thing to do and we understand it can get expensive.

- Korean K9 Rescue They have a formal NGO and a rescue facility where they can house up to eighty dogs. They know we love Cocker Spaniels and have been trying to save one or two Cockers for us when they have space.

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.

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.