ohmidog!

Every year, hundreds of thousands of South Korean dogs, some say millions, are electrocuted or bludgeoned to death.

Then their fur is boiled, torn or torched off so they can be chopped up, sold and eaten.

It remains a thriving, and often shady, business — even though only a minority of South Koreans eat dog, and even though those numbers are decreasing.

Recent years have seen a rise in pet keeping in South Korea, and along with it a higher degree of respect afforded to dogs, especially those of the purebred variety.

At the same time, South Korea’s fledgling animal welfare movement is becoming stronger and more active, and banning the eating of dog is at the top of its agenda.

Still, there are those, inside South Korea and out, who would like to see a total and immediate end to dog meat consumption.

Among them is In Defense of Animals (IDA), an organization that has been holding a global day of protest against the practice for the past seven years.

This year, IDA has joined forces with two South Korean animal welfare groups – Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) and Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), to protest dog meat consumption.

The 7th annual International Day of Action for South Korean Dogs and Cats is tomorrow — Tuesday, August 16 — and is timed to coincide with what is the peak period of dog consumption in South Korea, the hottest summer months. Many of those who market and consume canine meat maintain it increases vitality, male sexual prowess and general health — all myths, according to IDA.

At the events, held simultaneously in dozens of cities around the world, activists pass out leaflets and hold signs, often outside South Korean Embassies and Consulates.

You can find a full list of the day’s events in America and other countries here.

I met some of South Korea’s animal activists, and visited an outdoor dog market during a trip to Seoul in 2009 to research my book, “DOG, INC.: The Uncanny Inside Story of Cloning Man’s Best Friend.”

South Korea was the first country to clone a dog — a feat some say was made possible by the easy access to dogs from dog farms. Both before and after the birth of Snuppy, the first canine clone, scientists used farm dogs both for their eggs and as surrogates in their attempts to clone the species.

Given that, I felt the need to visit Moran Market, an open air bazaar outside Seoul where cages line the street for a full city block, and dogs can be purchased in part or in whole, live or dead, cooked or raw, for as little as $100.

Customers commonly choose a live dog from a cage, at which point the  dog is pulled out with a noose attached to a stick, dragged into a nearby room and given a fatal electrical shock with what resembles a cattle prod. It is thrown into a steel vat of boiling water to soften the meat and make its fur easier to remove. From there it is tumbled in a dryer that removes most of the fur. A torch is used to burn off any that remains, and the dog is then butchered to order while you wait. About 25 percent of South Korea’s dog meat is sold through Moran Market.

On my visit to the market, workers waved me down. They offered me a seat by the fire, a cup of tea and a cigarette. One grabbed a long stick, poked it through the bars in the cage and jabbed several dogs to show me how lively they were. The asking price was about $150, though it eventually dropped to $100.

While a few purebreds were in the mix, almost all were mutts. Most dog meat in Korea comes from mixed breeds that, while similar to the native Jindo breed in appearance, are mongrels, and are often referred to simply as “yellow dogs.” Most of them have been raised on farms, spending most of their lives in cages, or on three-foot chains.

Seeing I was uninterested in buying an entire live dog, the merchants offered me half of one – boiled and de-furred, but with its head, tail and paws still intact.

While there is disagreement over how far back dog eating in Korea goes, long stretches of poverty and war made it more popular, and necessary. While many never took up the practice, or have abandoned it, an estimated 500 to 600 restaurants in Seoul alone serve dog, in various forms.

Animal activists told me that the bulk of market dogs come from farms, but that stolen and stray pets often end up in the mix, and even dogs sold by unethical animal shelters.

“There are dogs picked up as strays off the streets and dogs that were being used to breed pets but have gotten old and useless,” said Soyoun Park, president of  CARE.

“The way you can distinguish if it’s a farm dog or a homeless dog is that those dogs that are raised at the farm won’t look at a human directly. They don’t want eye contact. Those who are not afraid about looking a human in the eye are usually dogs that have been raised in someone’s house.”

Dog was removed from the menus of many restaurants during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and in 1991, South Korea passed its first animal protection law, ostensibly forbidding the sale and consumption of dog meat.

But the government  has done little to enforce it — nearly 6,500 stores in the country still sell dog meat, according to the IDA.

As some some activists in Seoul told me, pressure from outside the country, up to now, seems to have had little effect on decreasing dog meat consumption in South Korea. Any true and lasting change, they believe, will likely have to come from within.

And as one pointed out, Americans — with all our righteous indignation — live in a country where the number of dogs euthanized at shelters every year is just about the same as the number consumed in Korea.

When it comes to the well-being of dogs as a species, be they American or Korean, there is work to be done. I’m just glad there are people — in both countries — doing it.

(Photos by John Woestendiek)

Whether you’re a biker or a bicyclist, a walker or a driver, you’re invited to a Ride Against Animal Cruelty in Baltimore this coming Saturday (Aug. 20).

There’s a $20 registration donation, and 100% of proceeds will be donated to organizations that prevent animal abuse, and treat abused animals, according to the event’s sponsor, the Peacekeepers Motorcycle Club.

(I think you can trust them; the organization is made up mostly of law enforcement types.)

The ride — co-sponsored by the Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force — starts at 11 a.m. at Harley-Davidson of Baltimore,  8845 Pulaski Highway.

The ride will end, around 3 p.m., at the Bluford Drew Jemison Academy, 1130 N. Caroline Street, where music, food, games and other activities for adults and children from are planned throughout the day.

“You do not have to ride a motorcycle to participate,” the club says. “Come in your car, SUV, pick-up truck, or on your scooter, mo-ped, bicycle, tricycle, or tired feet.”

You can learn more about the event at its Facebook page.

Name: Gatsby

Breed: Great Dane

Age: 3

Encountered: At an outdoor concert by Possum Jenkins in downtown Winston-Salem, N.C.

Backstory: We wouldn’t call him spoiled — at least not to his face — but Gatsby had it pretty cushy Saturday night, lounging on the giant dog bed his owners toted along because Gatsby finds the street itself something less than comfortable to lay on.

When I started taking his picture he got up, repositioning himself on the lap of his owner Steve Joiner, who works for Truliant Federal Credit Union, which sponsors the Summer on Trade concert series. Judging from Joiner’s reaction — there was none — Gatsby must do that a lot.

Later, Gatsby reassumed his position on his cushion, paying close attention as Joiner and his wife, Nora Garver, passed snacks back and forth.

(Roadside Encounters are a regular feature of Travels with Ace. To see them all, click here.)

Brain Strong is a DHA supplement that promises to nourish your brain, helping you remember all those things little things that keep slipping your mind — like where you put your sunglasses.

In this ad, the dog, in addition to being a mind reader, has all the answers.

Of course, that’s no help — at least until they invent a pill that lets us understand what our dogs are telling us.

All of our “Woof in Advertising” selections can be found archived here.

A Baltimore County dog was stabbed in the throat earlier this week while in her own fenced yard, and died later that night.

Princess, a 3-year-old mixed breed, was stabbed sometime Wednesday, and was found bleeding by her family when they returned home.

David and Robin O’Steen rushed the dog to the vet and left her there overnight, hopeful that she was going to survive. The vet told the O’Steens that the wound appeared to be from a knife.

“I had planned to go at 2 o’clock yesterday and get her from the vet,” Robin O’Steen told WJZ in Baltimore. “And they called yesterday (Thursday) morning when I was at school to tell me that she had passed overnight.”

The O’Steens said Princess had been mistreated by passersby before, because she was prone to bark at strangers. The street they live on in Essex is near a pedestrian bridge, and gets a lot of foot traffic, they said. Once someone walked by and spit on her because she was barking.

Contrary to the WJZ report (above), Princess wasn’t really on the cover of “Dog Fancy” magazine. According to Robin O’Steen, it’s a fake cover she had made at Walgreen’s. Because the visiting news crew didn’t ask about it, Robin said she didn’t bother to point it out. Even though Princess wasn’t a true cover dog, Robin still considered her a star.

Baltimore County police are investigating the death of Princess, but with no witnesses having come forward, Robin O’Steen isn’t too hopeful that the dog’s assailant will be found.

“Without an eyewitness, the police are unable to do anything, which greatly saddens me,” she told ohmidog!

Princess, a Rottweiler and black Lab mix, was a rescue from Georgia and had a limp when her daughter adopted her.

“She was my sidekick/my shadow. If I went outside to sit on the porch, she had to go outside with me. Even if to just lay in the yard, she was always by my side to make sure I was OK. Even though she was 80 pounds, she would lay in my bed with me while I watched TV, worked on homework, etc. She spent almost every night at my feet, sleeping with me and my husband.”

“I had her for three years and she was THE best dog I ever had. She was not my property, she was my family. I feel so lost without her, and I am so angry that anyone could do this to a dog that never hurt anyone.”

The dog in this Pepsi commercial isn’t just smart enough to steal a sandwich from the counter when the doorbell rings, then wash it down with a can of Pepsi. He’s sly enough to frame the cat. And all in under 30 seconds.

Poor kitty.

All of our “Woof in Advertising” selections can be found archived here.

Here’s a cute piece that appeared on the Today Show this week about the newest gimmick when it comes to matching up homeless dogs with homes.

It’s speed dating for dogs.

Not that adopting a dog should be a speedy decision, but it does seem a good way to let humans meet adoptable dogs, and in a far nicer setting than your average bark-filled, puddle prone animal shelter.

Some wine, some music, maybe even some candlelight. Why not?

What started off as a pet-sitting gig has evolved into a beagle-based therapy program at Riderwood, a continuing care retirement community in Silver Spring, Maryland.

An eight-year-old beagle named Ginger now lives part-time at Renaissance Gardens, the assisted living/skilled nursing facility located at Riderwood, where she visits residents, serves as an icebreaker and, just maybe, is lowering some blood pressures as well.

Ginger’s new mission came out of a pet-sitting arrangement between friends. Karen Spicer, a Community Resources Coordinator at Riderwood who lives in Ellicott City, started taking care of Ginger four years ago, whenever Ginger’s family went on vacation.

It was Ginger’s mom who came up with the idea of sharing the beagle, who now spends part of the time as a pet with her family in Catonsville, part of it with Spicer in Ellicott City, and part of it at Riderwood.

Spicer picks up Ginger, who recently completed her orientation to be a Pets on Wheels dog, on the first Sunday of the month and drops her back home on the third Sunday of the month.

Ginger, according to Spicer, is sweet, compliant and unusually obedient and quiet for a beagle. “She loves to tell people that they are great,” said Spicer. “She is great company for me. I am a better person for having her.”

(Photo: Courtesy of Erickson Living)

Eva LaRue and Omar Miller, stars of TV’s “CSI: Miami” are teaming with Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods, PETCO™ and independent pet stores to celebrate National Guide Dog Month in September.

The goal is to  raise money and awareness for guide dog organizations across the country.

“We want people to realize that this is more than just a fundraiser for a good cause,” said Miller. “This is really about empowering the visually impaired with the life-changing gift of a guide dog. Guide dogs and training are provided at no cost to qualified applicants who are blind or visually impaired. With 10 million visually impaired people in the U.S., the demand for guide dogs continues to grow.”

“Every seven minutes someone in America becomes blind or visually impaired,” said LaRue. “Guide dogs are heroes, providing safe mobility, loving companionship and restoring confidence to their handlers.”

You can see the public service announcement they made here.

Throughout September, pet owners can visit any of PETCO’s locations as well as select independent retailers of Natural Balance to help support National Guide Dog Month.

Shoppers can purchase specially marked bags of Natural Balance to donate $1 of the purchase price to participating guide dog schools.

Petco shoppers can also “round up” their purchases at the register or make donations directly online at  www.petco.com.

Recipients of the money raised will include: Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., Guide Dogs of the Desert, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc., Southeastern Guide Dogs, Leader Dogs for the Blind, The Seeing Eye, Inc., Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Guiding Eyes for the Blind and Guide Dogs of Texas, Inc.

A Bucks County, Pennsylvania, doctor kicked a guide dog out of her office, and says it was within her rights to do so.

Dr. Priya Punjabi told Phillyburbs.com that a large animal could scare or upset her patients — though the couple with the guide dog were the only ones in her Bensalem office when they arrived. The doctor also said she is afraid of dogs.

Lat week, Joseph Cichonski, 58, who is visually impaired, accompanied his wife to Punjabi’s office, where she was scheduled to receive a physical.

Cichonski said his guide dog, Hero, a golden retriever/Lab mix,  was lying calmly at his feet in the waiting room when the doctor approached and told him pets weren’t allowed in the office.

“We simply asked him to step outside,” the doctor explained later. “I have my rights and my phobias, too.”

“I told her that it’s not a pet, it’s a guide dog, but she still said I couldn’t have him in there,” Cichonski said.

Cichonski said he and Hero stepped outside the office because he didn’t want to cause a scene. His wife, who was told she wouldn’t be treated while the dog was in the office, also left.

The Cichonskis called police, who interviewed the parties involved and filed a report. Cichonski said Wednesday that he’s exploring his options.

“I’m not trying to cause a fuss,” he said. “I just want to let people know that things like this are happening and I’d like to prevent them from happening to other people with disabilities.”

Rocco Iaculla, an attorney with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, said the doctor’s actions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“You cannot exclude service animals except in very specific situations,” he said. “Unless the animal is out of control or not housebroken or someone nearby has a severe allergic reaction, you must permit them in any area that the public is permitted. It has to be more than someone feeling uncomfortable with an animal present.”

(Photo: Kim Weimer / Phillyburbs.com)