Adoption Information

ONLY SERIOUS HOMES PLEASE

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU  ㅌ     APPLY OR SEND ANY QUESTIONS.

Consider the Following Points Before Reading the FAQ

  • Think 100 Times Before Deciding to Adopt

    저희 보호소의 구조된 개는 소위 한국서 식용견이라 불리는 아이들입니다. 자세히 읽어보시고 질문이 있으시면 아래 주소로 문의 사항을 보내주십시요.

    For Koreans 한국어 nami@savekoreandogs.org

    For English 영어 diane@savekoreandogs.org

    입양신청서에 질문이 많습니다. 그만큼 직접 만나서 입양 여부 검토를 하는데 어려움이 있기때문입니다. 입양신청서보내주시고 세이브코리언독스 미국지부에서 한 분을 지정해 직접 가정방문을 실시합니다. 그리하여 입양 결정까지 시간이 많이 소요되고 있습니다.

    Adopting a rescued meat dog, like any animal companion, is a lifetime commitment. Before you send in an application, consider carefully if you are able to care for and make one of our dogs a member of your family for their lifetime. Please think 100 times before you apply. As a group of animal rights advocates, we spend precious time reviewing every application we receive in addition to caring for and saving dogs. You can ensure our time is well spent by knowing ahead of time if you and your home are ready for one of our dogs to be a new family member. If you have any questions about the application process, please send us a message by Facebook messenger, savekoreandogs, or Nami Kim. We have an adoption team in the US (Heidi Leland) but Nami knows the dogs better as she lives with the dogs at the shelter.

  • Only Apply After Reading Everything Here

    아래 정보를 자세히 읽어보신후 신청서를 작성해 보내주시기 바랍니다.

    Only fill out the application form after you have read all information on this site again and again, and then click “Submit”. We need three (3) photos of your home (one photo showing a fenced front or back yard) and three (3) photos of your family members, including any other dogs and animals you have.
    A. 3 Photos of Your Home (indoor and outdoor). Please include your fenced yard. This is a MUST.

    현재 사는 집 사진 앞 마당 뒷마당, 펜스가 되어 있는지 명기바랍니다.
    B. 3 Photos of Your Family Members/Dogs and Other Animals.
    Please use Facebook Messenger or send an email to adoptions@savekoreandogs.org to alert us to your application after you’ve sent it over. Please check you have attached minimum six photos of your home and family members including your dogs before you click “Summit” Thank you!

  • Length of Time for Application Approval

    Once we review your application, we’ll let you know if your application has been approved. Review and approval typically occur within one week, but may sometimes take longer depending on workload at our Sanctuary. If we need to get connected with you, we’ll reach out by Facebook Messenger or email for further communications. We won’t be able to review your application if you are not on Facebook. We rely on Facebook as a means to help us stay updated on all of our adopted dogs through our SaveKoreanDogs Success Stories group page. The page allows you let us know how your dog is doing from the time of airport pick-up, to arrival at your home, to how your new family member is adjusting to their new environment and so on. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841/

    입양신청서를 받은후 미국재단에서 서류를 검토합니다. 이후 가장 가까운 곳에 있는 우리 입양집을 통해서 가정방문을 하고 있습니다.

  • Countries That We Ship To

    We have thousands of shipments of dogs to the U.S. and Canada over the past eight years. As of February 2020 we have total number of dogs sent to the US and Canada are reaching 3,300. A single shipment does not mean one (1) dog, but up to a maximum of seven (7) dogs flying, usually averaging two (2) dogs. We have thousands of dogs living happily in the U.S. and Canada, thanks to the process of bringing dogs into these countries being fairly straightforward and simple. Occasionally, we are also able to fly dogs to the United Kingdom & Commonwealth, European Union, Germany and Singapore. Currently, we are not able to fly dogs to Australia and Hawaii. Please note, because of quarantine rules and regulations, it can take as long as four to six (4-6) months to a year to get approved to fly dogs to the UK/EU, to Australia or to Hawaii. FYI, no vets in Korea will do the papers for Australia. We recently opened our door to Germany.

  • Costs Involved For Adopters

    Individual home adopters receiving the dogs by cargo pay for the airfare and all other expenses involved with the shipment, which includes expenses such as crates, animal transporter to the airport, issue of the certificates/papers and quarantine inspection. It normally costs $300 in addition to flight costs.

    Prior to approval of placement of a dog with an adopter/foster, we pay vet bills such as vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. This also includes certain blood tests like heartworm. Treating heartworm is a long process, pre treatment medication and Immiticide, the big shot and post treatment follows. Its quite costly (averaging a minimum of $600 -$1,200 depending on the weight and the stage) and takes one or two months to complete the treatment and an additional four (4) month to six (6) month period till date of last clearance.

    If you pick your own dog/s you want to adopt, we can give you an estimate of the flight costs based on the crate size, weight and destination. Once you have made the decision to adopt, then we get back to you with a precise estimate from the cargo office. There is $200-$300 difference between each crate size, which is why we try hard to have the dogs crate listed as “small size” to save on costs. We do run into challenges with airline cargo inspectors insisting on the bigger crates after we’ve reached cargo boarding, and thus we sometimes end up having to change to bigger crates to ensure the dogs fly. In these types of circumstances. Its always the case that we pay more than what’s been estimated. If any balance left, we refund you if you have paid more than the airway bill issued after boarding other added-on expenses for your dog/s shipment. Please note – the cargo office is closed weekends. We book and ship dogs from Monday to Friday.

  • It Is Important To Keep Us Updated

    The first month is critically important to the dog/s you adopted and you as a family, as this is the dog/s first time being out of the kennel and South Korea. For them, they’re in a strange new place, experiencing new soil, new smells, new faces and so on. Adopters are required to update us weekly, sharing their dog/s progress on our group page, SaveKoreanDogs Success Stories. Thank you!
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841/

    **** Important! Please double leash the dog, a collar and a harness while you walk the dogs. Its a must to have a GPS Tracker if your dog is with a little trauma or shy at strangers.

    **** Something you need to know about our dogs and need you for the below.

    1. Not potty trained
    2. They don’t know what to do to a gentle caring hands (most dogs never experienced)
    3. They don’t know how to play with toys.
    4. Some are shy, sometimes hide and run in fear.
    5. Upon arrival, your dog may not poop for a few days, diarrhea caused by stressful long flight is common.
    6. Please give time for your dog to decompress and adjust. No rush.

    .https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841/permalink/698918027197718/

The FAQ

What medical care is given to rescued dogs?

Our veterinary team visits our shelter to do vaccinations, spay and neuter and health check-ups after each rescue. Veterinarian Dr.Han visits our shelter regularly to check on the dogs, and at a minimum twice a month. Two vaccinations are required for the U.S. and Canada, DHPP/DHPPL and Rabies. For DHPP, we use Vanguard Plus 5L4. As for Rabies we use Defensor, Rabisin if not Nobivac.

In the case of puppies less than six months, we normally do four shots, including kennel cough and parvo. We also run heartworm test for each dog. Those who are malnourished must wait till they’re fit to take the vaccinations and treatments. It takes longer for underweight dogs to be able to get their treatments. After vaccinations, dogs go through a de-worming process for one week, and are then sterilized. We spay/neuter all dogs with exception of those younger than 6-8 months depending on breeds. The age exception follows for treating heartworm, as it is only found in those about 12 months of age and older. Not all dogs have heartworm, but chances are high to test positive for heartworm if a dog is more than a year old. For de-worming after vaccinations, we use Drontal.

The government quarantine office of South Korea requires vaccination and health certificates for the application of quarantine papers, which must be approved and inspected to issue a permit to fly. The U.S. and Canada require Rabies and DHPPL/DHPPL vaccinations for quarantine inspection.

See the photos below.

For de-worming, Drontal is used for the first week followed by Metrogyl or Metronidazole for tapeworm.

For heart worm prevention, Ivomec and Heartguard on a monthly basis; We administer on the 25th of every month.

For fleas and ticks (only during summer).

Please note, for dogs that test positive for heartworm, two of our three vets Dr. Han and Dr.Lee treat them based on the protocol. It normally takes a couple of months to treat, from pre-medication to the Immiticide and the “big shot” injection, to post medication follow-up for two weeks to a month depending on the stage of infection. We go by the “Standard 1” of the treatment protocol. In total, it takes three to six (3 – 6) months to clear a dog of heartworm. We do have adopters who choose to receive their dogs first and do the treatment in the U.S. and Canada.

Are the dogs toilet trained?

Due to the large number of dogs we rescue and our limited space at the Sanctuary, we are not able to toilet train/house train the dogs. All of our dogs live with more than one kennelmate. Given that these dogs are rescued from meat farms where they’ve been kept in cages for the entire time they’ve been alive, they currently only understand doing their business wherever in the kennel.  When considering an adopter, this is why we prioritize homes with a fenced yard. After you’ve brought your new family member home, we recommend adopters leave their doors open to the fenced yard or have potty pads inside on the floors.

How do the dog flights work?

For the U.S. & Canada:

For now, dogs are flown to the following international airports where direct flights from Seoul/Incheon International Airport. Our SaveKoreanDogs Sanctuary/shelter is located 1-2 hours from the airport depending on the traffic. We try to use direct flight only as it takes 11 hours to West Coast and 13 hours to East Coast. Why we avoid transfer/layover is that I can’t let the dogs wait long hours again at the airport and then get on the connecting flight when it’s already more than ten hours of flight to go across the Pacific. As for Korean Air we use frequently for all the dogs flying out, there is a comfortable live animal compartment with auto temperature controller and quite comfortable.

These are the cities with direct flights from Incheon/Seoul Korea. Please note its by cargo:
If your dog is flying by Korean Air (recently we use Asiana due to the rise of cargo fee by 100% from September 2019) they are as follows. Its a daily flight to the below destinations. It takes a couple of hours at the customs clearance and please be noted that the arrival can not be on time as scheduled. Please call the airport and allow a couple of hours of delay. Please note there is time difference, US and Canada continent is 13 to 16 hours behind Korea, your pick up day is same as departure day in Korea.

West Coast: LA, SF, Seattle, Las Vegas, Vancouver
Most flights to West Coast arrival time are from 10 am to 11 am.

Los Angeles: Korean Air KE017 Asiana OZ 202 arriving LAX at 9 am + 1 hour
Settle: KE019 OZ OZ 272 arriving at 11 am + 1 hour if delayed
San Francisco: KE 023 OZ 212 arriving SFO at 9:30 am + 1 hour
Las Vegas: KE 005 (Asiana not flying to Las Vegas) arriving at 4 pm + 1 hour

We use Air Canada for Vancouver and Toronto.
Vancouver: Air Canada AC 064,  KE071 arriving YVR at 11 am + 1 hou

East Coast: NY, Washington DC, Toronto
New York: KE081  OZ 222 arriving JFK at 10 am
Washington: KE 093 arriving Dules airport at 9 am + 1 hour
Toronto: Air Canada AC 062, KE 073 arriving Pierson airport at 9:30 am + 1 hour

Other Cities: Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas/Texas
Chicago: KE 037 arriving Ohare at 9 am + 1 hour
Atlanta: KE 035 arriving at Heartfields Jackson at 9:30 am + 1 hour
Dallas/Texas: KE 031 arriving Forthworth at 9 am + 1 hour if delayed

Airline cargo requires a minimum 4 business days booking in advance. Upon acceptance/approval of your application for adoption, we make arrangements for the quarantine papers and cargo schedule for the dog. Once your payment is made (for the transporting costs), I can put the dog on a flight. Your payment must come to our non profit charity account on our website, https://savekoreandogs.org/adoption-costs-fees/

The photos below show how it works.

Korean Air Destinations
USA
New York(JFK), NY, United States – John F. Kennedy
Washington(IAD), DC, United States – Dulles
Chicago(ORD), IL, USA – O`Hare
Los Angeles(LAX), CA, United States
Seattle(SEA), WA, United States
Dallas(DFW), TX, United States – Fort Worth
Detroit(DTW), MI, United States – Metropolitan Wayne County
Houston(IAH), TX, United States – George Bush Intercontinental
Las Vegas(LAS), NV, United States – McCarran
Atlanta(ATL), GA, United States – Hartsfield-Jackson
San Francisco(SFO), CA, United States
CANADA
Toronto(YYZ), ON, Canada – Pearson
Vancouver(YVR), BC, Canada

Korean Air branch offices at those direct flight destinations will call you to inform you where to pick up your dog(s) and customs clearances, or (if less than a week booking) you call the office with the reservation confirmation/airway bill number I send you a couple of hours later upon booking.

After the dogs get on board and moved to the live animal compartments, REAR 5 of the aircraft and it has auto temperature control in it.

Sometimes, small size dogs total weight of the dog and crate is less than 5 kg, you are allowed to take the dog into the cabin and placed under your seat. Please note that the weight has to be less than 5 kg if you want the dog in the cabin.Its best you come to these cities with international airport with direct flights from Seoul for pick up and drive home with your dog. West coast LA, SF, Seattle, Las Vegas, Vancouver, for East Coast: NY, Washington DC, Toronto, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas.

What does it cost to fly a dog?

Each of the following steps require a payment:

Cargo freight fee by the airline

    1. ) We use Korean Air extensively as it offers direct flight to the most international airports in US and Canada. I get estimate for you based on the dog, the crate size and the weight.
    2. ) We try to put the dogs into smaller crate(s) as the dogs sleep through the flight. We are often asked to change to bigger crate(s) at the cargo terminal inspection by the airline on the day of departure. Airway bill is issued based on the crate size and weight after boarding. What I can give you only the estimate as we are often asked to change the crate to a bigger size.

Vet bills and medical treatment

  1. ) We take care of all the vet bills such as all the required vaccinations, spaying/neutering and heartworm treatment. As of February 2018, we are unable to donate the items below. We have been donating the crates since March 2017 and other costs/expenses involved with each shipment as below. I am so sorry to say we can not afford this anymore. There will be $300 more to the airfare by cargo
  2. ) Animal transporter fee to the airport. Two trips to the airports are required for East Coast bound as those depart early in the morning (5:30 am to 6:30) the quarantine office is open at 9 am. So it must be done before the day of departure. Two trips to the airport costs us $300
  3. ) Issue of health certificates, health check and quarantine papers by vets

Airport expenses

  1. ) quarantine inspection fee at the airport.
  2. ) Toll fee of two highways to the airport, parking fee at the airport.
  3. ) Crates, harnesses, leashes, collars, water bottles, jackets (for winter only)
  4. ) Crates sizes are from the smallest 250 international standard to the largest 550. Those bigger than 550 will need the super giant size (or 550 wooden bar extension) for large breeds such as Hound/Tosa or Retriever, Malamute. We go by CM in Korea. For most of the dogs we have are for two sizes at the moment. International standard crate size 450 is 65cm X 76 cm X 110 cm and a bigger size standard 550 is 74 cm X 60 cm X 110 cm.Airline cargo requires a minimum 4 business days booking in advance. The office is closed weekends. Please be reminded that due to the time differences, you pick up the dogs on the same day they depart from the airport here. Airline quotes/estimates for transporting a dog are based on the size of the crate and weight. We try to have them in proper crates but are often asked to change to bigger crate on the cargo inspection before getting on board. This means actual flight cost is determined at the cargo and airway bill is issued accordingly.

For the first step to adopt a dog:

A. ) Pick your dog first (so that I know what size crate is needed for your dog) and tell us your nearest international airport from you, then I can quote you how much it will cost. We try to have the dogs in the smaller crates but at the airline cargo, we are often asked to change to bigger crates. Its all determined by the LIVE ANIMAL inspection by the airline cargo at the airport. Flight cost ranges from $400 for the smallest crate 250 size to $1,800 for the largest crate 550 size per dog.

Crate sizes come in three, small, medium and large, each S, M.L again comes in two sizes. If the dogs are less than 8 kg (about 20 lbs) and less than 6 months-old, two can be shipped in one crate. It will be less by 30%. That is why I always ask potential homes to look for another home. You can take two puppies less than 8 kg in a crate and you can save a few hundreds of dollars.

What happens at the departure airport?

We take care of all the process involved in transporting our rescue dogs.

We bring the dog to the airport on the day of travel, if it is early morning flight like to East Coast, JFK, Dulles, Chicago, Dallas and Toronto, we have the quarantine inspection done before the day. This means two trips are required for a dog flying to East Coast. After the inspection at the Animal Quarantine before the day of departure (for East Coast) or on the day of departure (for West Coast), we move to the cargo terminal where another inspection is done by airline cargo officials with the Live Animal Check List Standards. When the green light is given, the cargo issues an airway bill which we have to pay on the day based on the crate size and weight. The total cost is determined on the day of shipping when the airway bill is issued on the departure date at the cargo terminal at Seoul/Incheon international airport.

How to Pick Up Your Dog at the Cargo Terminal of the Airline.

As for Korean Air, their branch office in your home airport (where your dog is flying) will call you to confirm if you are the receiver of the dog(s) and will tell you where you can pick up your dog(s) and give you full information about customs clearance. You must bring your ID to the airport cargo terminal to pick up your dog as the quarantine papers and the airway is under your name. There will be $50 – $100 for a customs clearance fee depending on the airport. Please show them ID and wait till the dogs are cleared with the papers attached to the crate. It takes about 1-2 hours at the customs of the airline cargo. The Airline cargo terminal staff will let you wait and let you know the process.

We would love to have some photos/videos of your dog landing at your pick up airport. For these dog meat trade survivors getting out of Korea itself is a success stories. Please share in our group page. We would really appreciate it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841/

To the adopters, please do not open the crate door in the open areas, make sure its enclosed for water and stretch, pee and poop. Once you take your dog (s) home with you, they need extra care as most of the dogs have not experienced caring hands or home environment. Please give him/her plenty of water and TLC as he/she has just endured a long journey. * THIS IS IMPORTANT, please do not open the crate door till you are in an enclosure.

What should I prepare for my new dog?

Bringing Your New Dog Home

Preparation, patience, and love are key to building a happy home

The key to helping your new dog make a successful adjustment to his or her new home is being prepared and being patient. It can take anywhere from two days to two months (and for very traumatized dogs even longer) for you and your pet to adjust to each other and your other family members. The following tips can help ensure a smooth transition.

First, gather your dog’s supplies

Prepare the things your dog will need in advance. You’ll need a collar and a harness and leash, food and water bowls, food, and, of course, some toys. And don’t forget to order an identification tag right away. Please have your dog double leashed, a harness is a must when you take your dog for a walk. Your dog may want to explore the new world and sniff around. We’ve had cases dogs runaway during the walks, please make sure you have the harnesses, make sure double leashed. Please double check its all TIGHT before walking.

**** Important! Please double leash the dog, a collar and a harness while you walk the dogs. Its a must to have a GPS Tracker if your dog is with a little trauma or shy at strangers.

At the airport, the crate will have a leash (we don’t use leather products) water bottle and small pouch of dog food attached on the crates. You are advised to come to the airport with fresh water. Also, bring some home cooked chicken and rice. They will love that. We don’t let the dogs eat (we get them to fast) before the day of departure because they tend to throw up on the way to the airport. They will be very hungry after almost no food for over 20 hours.

Plan your dog’s arrival

Try to arrange the arrival of your new dog for a weekend or when you can be home for a few days. Get to know each other and spend some quality time together.

You dog/s would have been under enormous stress, with a long drive to the airport before departure, noises at the cargo terminal, and being in the live animal compartment for over 11 hours to the West Coast or 14 hours to the East Coast. The amount of stress during the long journey may cause your dog/s to have diarrhea for the first two days.

Don’t forget the jealousy factor—make sure you don’t neglect other pets and people in your household!
Be patient and enjoy the results

Pick up at the airport

Please do not open the crate doors in an open area. Make sure you have the leash on the collar before opening the crate door.
When you first meet your new family member in person, give him/her sometime, let the dogs to smell you to get to know you. It is advisable to sit in front of the crate to wait for the dogs to get to know you.

Please make sure to provide fresh water for your new dog. As you know your pet traveled many hours to finally meet you. You are sure to make a good friend, if you bring some plain cooked chicken with rice as they wouldn’t have eaten for a while (blend ingredients enough not to upset their tummy). Also – if possible – clean the crate as it might be soiled on arrival. Please make sure your new dog is secured on a leash as they might be confused about the new smells, new faces, new soil and location.

**** Important! Please double leash the dog, a collar and a harness while you walk the dogs. Its a must to have a GPS Tracker if your dog is with a little trauma or shy at strangers.

What Should I Do Before Applying to Adopt?

You will need the following information when filling out the application form.

  1. The nearest international airport from your home
  2. Your full name, full address and your cell phone number. I must have it as the Korean cargo complains if the phone number you provide is unreachable. We need your cell number.
  3. At least three photos of your home/house (fenced front/backyard are preferred) and three of your family photos are required. (or your dog’s photos) This is MUST attach to the applications together with minimum six photos of your home and family member.
  4. How you wish to make the payment. Payment should be made in advance for us to make the reservation with the airline cargo. We use Korean Air cargo if not Asiana, from time to time United Airlines for low budget homes
  5. We want to be updated on how the dog is doing/setting in at your home. Please photos/videos of the dog(s) daily or weekly in the first month as the first month is very important to us and the dog(s), share with the group, Save Korean Dogs Success Stories. It could be new discoveries, the whole stories of process of each day or interesting stories you would like to share with other homes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841
  6. Also, after I receive your application form, I will also make an international call/facebook messenger call to speak to you personally when I have more questions to ask apart from your application. I always want to make sure the potential homes have front/backyard for the dogs to play and feel the grass under their paws.

To fill out an application form, please go to the Application menu. Thank you for reading this before filling out your application. Please send in the applications first before any inquiring emails.

Please be reminded you are required to attach the following in your applications: At least three photos of your home/house (fenced front/backyard yard preferred) and three of your family photos are required. This is a MUST attach to the applications together with minimum six photos of your home and family members.

After the Adoption, We would ask you to update us on how the dog is doing/setting in at your home. Please make sure you post the photos/videos of the dog(s) daily or weekly share with the group, Save Korean Dogs Success Stories. Thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/263016840787841/

It could be daily, weekly or monthly how your new dog is doing in your home, new discoveries, the whole stories of process of each day or interesting stories you would like to share with other homes. Happy ending stories, Happy tails all the way. Thank you!