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Yongseok Kang's "Frightening Truth"
Frightening truth about pet dogs hidden in the era of 10 million pet owners. Death of pet dogs taken too lightly. Are you aware of the reality?
If a dogs are no longer needed by his owner it is commonly called a "waste dog".
Dogs that can no longer reproduce should be euthanized.
Pet dog auction market known for its trade of death taking place. What could be going on in this market?
Pet dogs. "Trade of Death".
Daejeon Metropolitan City. "ㄱ" Pet Dog Auction Market.
Hidden reality of pet dog auction market.
Dogs supplied to the auction markets through dog farms get to the end-customers by pet dog dealers.
"Young puppies hardly able to move" Puppies traded here are newborn puppies that recently weaned from their mom.
Auction market: Puppies older than 60 days are bigger so if the puppies are cute they will be sold but if they are not that cute then people won't buy them.
So the puppies traded in this market are mostly around 35 days old.
Based on the Animal Protection Act Enforcement Rule, dogs and cats must be at least 2 months old before they can be sold.
If this rule is violated, First violation - Warning Second violation - 7 days Business Suspension Third violation - 15 days Business Suspension
However, auction market claims that as long as you have "Companion Animal Data Card", animals younger than 60 days can be sold.
Suspicious card that let you evade the law?
Auction market: The card shows that they are sold from this auction market so there is no problem selling puppies under 60 days old.
Undercover: So is that OK? Market employee: Yes. Legally there is no problem at all.
Companion Animal Data Card - Issued by the Korea Companion Animal Auction Market Association, requires to record breed, gender, birth date, vaccination date, etc.
Can this card indeed evade the law?
Reporter: I was told that there is no problem selling puppies younger than 60 days as long as the data card is provided.
Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: That's not what it says in the Animal Protection Law.
Dog farmers should have a management card. However, the puppies still need to be 60 days old before they can be sold.
Pet dog traders claim to have a fundamental reason why they have to sell puppies younger than 60 days.
'ㄱ' Pet Dog Auction Market : If they wait until 60 days, the cost of food goes up. And it becomes unprofitable.
Puppies that do not meet the 60 days legal requirement.
Because of the greed to reduce the cost of feed, these puppies were being sold with their lives as collateral.
Haesun Park, Board of Director, Korea Animal Protection & Education Society (KAPES). The reason for the 60 days requirement is because that's the period the puppies are vulnerable to illnesses.
This standard is based on the fact that the puppy's mortality rate declines after this period.
To conclude, illegal trade of puppies not yet 60 days old is brazenly taking place in pet dog auction markets.
Yu, a former employee at a pet dog auction market.
To find out the reality of dog meat auction market, we were able to meet a man who used to work at a pet dog auction market.
If the pet dogs were auctioned in the morning, large dogs are auctioned in the afternoon.
Normally large dogs are sold as meat dogs. Among pet dogs, breeds such as Cocker Spaniels are sold as meat for "Dog Soju"(Dog Elixir).
A pet dog auction market in Gyeonggido-province where we were told that we could verify this reality.
We've decided to pretend as a pet dog dealer and enter inside this auction market.
Cruel handling at the auction market. Dogs raised for meat are being found everywhere in the market.
And among these dogs locked up in small cages, we were able to find breeds such as Golden Retrievers and Great Pyrenees.
Why would the dogs you would see around your neighborhood be here?
Undercover: What kind of dog is this? Dealer: These are special breeds. They are cheap and have a lot of fat.
They are cheaper than "Dung Dogs (typical meat dogs)" per pound. They would slaughter them for you for 30,000 KRW ($28 USD).
For medicine any breeds of dogs are sold.
We were able to verify the scene of pet dogs being sold as meat.
Siberian Huskies comes in many varieties. Eye colors are all different. Some have diamond shape in their eyes.
Undercover: Are the Huskies more expensive? Dealer: They are cheaper because they don't sell as well. Meat quality is not good.
You can assume that 90% of these dogs are bad quality meat. German Shepherds are the same. They are all bad.
These dogs' meat are mixed with other dogs. They are all meat so it's no problem.
If you take them to the Health Food Centers even without processing it, they love it because they are big.
Where do the dogs being sold as meat through pet auction market come from?
Regardless of its gender, when they can no longer reproduce, they are regarded as "waste dogs" and sold off.
For female dogs, they make puppies and when they reach around 7-8 years old they are processed as "waste dog".
Reporter: So the dogs determined as "waste dogs" have nowhere to go except to be sold as meat dogs. Former auction market employee: Yes. Of course.
Dogs born as pet and end their lives as meat. Why the "waste dogs" must be sold as meat?
These "waste dogs" shouldn't be created but there is no place to dispose of them.
Undercover: Because they are large pet dogs?
Of course. We don't know what to do with them. There is no place to dispose them.
So I buy them cheap and slaughter and sell them. Everyone here does that. We must do it to support ourselves.
People might condemn us but this is our livelihood. In order to making living.
Dealers selling dogs because there is no way to dispose of them and also to making living. Why can't this practice change?
"ㄴ" Pet dog auction market: Dog farms have no place to dispose of these dogs and they keep asking us to allow trade. We can't change that overnight.
It's wrong but they don't have the conscience that the pet dogs should not be sold as meat dogs.
In addition, we were told that a significant portion of the dogs these dealers sell includes abandoned pets.
Former pet dog auction market employee: We can't tell whether a dog was a pet at someone's home or raised at dog farms.
With successful bids at the auction, all dogs are sold to either pet shops or as meat.
People usually bring abandoned pets to sell.
According to Livestock Industry Act, dogs are classified as livestock.
However, according to Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act that specifies the livestock for consumption, dogs are excluded.
This is the auction scene of lawlessness aside from illegality and legality with no legal deterrence or regulation.
Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: In the Animal Protection Act, there is no differentiation of "meat dogs" and "non-meat dogs".
We have no authority to regulate this area.
For a long time, dogs have always lived with us.
At the same time, there is a record that they were also eaten as meat.
According to BonChoGangMok(16th century pharmacy book written in China), hunting dogs were called "Jeon(Field) Dog", house dogs, "Pae(Barking)Dog" and companion dogs ,"Dog".
On the other hand, DongGukSeSiGi (19th century seasonal customs book written in Korea) differentiated dogs for meat by calling the dog meat "Gujang".
Currently there are 4 auction markets just in Gyeonggido-province that doesn't differentiate meat dogs and pet dogs.
About 10 auction markets around the country is distributing dogs who lived their lives as pets as meat dogs.
A dog captured by our team near the end of auction.
A Siberian Husky was traded.
We followed the truck.
It arrived at a dog farm located in Gyeonggido-province.
Farm owner showing us around as we asked for a dog to make soup.
We found the Siberian Husky dog that was purchased at the auction market.
Farm owner: It only takes about 20 minutes for slaughter.
Undercover: Can I just pick any dog? Farm owner: Yes. We slaughter for you right here.
Undercover: So you slaughter the dogs here?
Farm owner: Yes. Pet dog such as that Siberian Husky, Malamutes, German Shepherds are all cheap.
Undercover: Are they cheaper? Farm owner: Much cheaper. You could buy them for 5,000 KRW($5 USD) per Geun (=600g).
Next day. We visited the same farm.
I am back at the farm that bought a pet dog from the auction market.
I will go in and check the status of that dog.
We were able to find the truck that transported that dog from auction market but we could not find that dog.
These are your dogs, right?
We've decided to ask him about what happened to the dog.
Farm owner: Are you recording this? Owner walks away avoiding the camera.
As we ask about what happened at the auction market yesterday, he's attitude changes abruptly.
Reporter: You bought a Siberian Husky at the auction market, didn't you? Farm owner: I have a dementia so I don't remember.
Reporter: Why did you buy it? Farm owner: I told you I have a dementia so I don't remember. I don't even remember you visiting me.
Farm owner claiming not to remember is asking us where have we seen him.
Farm owner: Which auction market did you see me? Reporter: ** Auction Market.
Farm owner: Where is ** Auction Market? Then you should go ask over there. Why are you bothering me? I don't know anything.
Reporter: But you did buy that dog.
Farm owner: I don't remember. You guys are crazy. Finally, farm owner came back and started to confront us.
Farm owner: Am I an easy target? You can't report someone else so you are reporting me.
If I get angry nothing's going to stop me. I will attack. So just leave me alone. I said you don't need to do this. ***!
Are you going to keep bothering me?
We could not get any explanation about the dog purchased the day before at the pet dog auction market.
How about other dog farms? With the help from an expert (animal organization), we've decided to check the condition of the dogs at another farm.
Veterinarian Y.S. Ahn. Through blood test, we can find out the white blood cell number anemia.
Reporter: It's just like the test we get? Veterinarian: Yes. It's same.
We will take these in case we see a dog who is sick and perhaps we can treat him.
Outskirt of Seoul. "ㄷ" Pet dog farm. Pet dog farm located in a remote area.
Tens of dogs being raised here.
Under the small cages where the dogs are raised, excrements were piled up.
Dogs exposed to the worst sanitary condition.
Dogs were locked up in cages while neglected in filthy condition.
Animal organization: How much is it per dog? Farm owner: 7,000KRW ($7 USD) per Geun (=600g).
Animal organization: How do you sell them? Farm owner: We can slaughter them for you as a service.
Pet dog farm that offers to sell dogs alive or slaughtered on the spot.
We proceeded to conduct tests through accompanied Veterinarian and an overall inspection around the farm.
Among the dogs in the farm, 2 dogs were suffering from conditions so serious that we rescued them by paying for them.
We will put them in here and take them.
Dogs trying not to leave the cage.
How was the outside world like for them that they look at the world with eyes so full of fear?
You have seen the dog farm with us. So how was the condition of the dogs generally?
Generally because they are locked up in small wire cages all their lives, there are symptoms of stress in these dogs.
Do you see any dogs that looks like abandoned pets?
In the case of this dog, teeth are clean and the condition of eyes are not bad. I suspect that this dog could be an abandoned pet.
So you are saying that he was a pet that has been abandoned. Yes.
Then let's take the poodle and this dog to the hospital and do a complete examination to find out if there are any diseases.
Yes. We will do a complete examination.
'ㅎ' Veterinary Hospital. We took the dogs to the hospital that night.
X-ray shows that right side of this dog's heart is bulged out. He could be infected with heart worm.
Heart worm found in one of the dogs. Heart worm is a disease that fills the lung with water and can be fatal.
Whose fault is it that these dogs had to pass the time in that poor condition? Heart Worm-Through parasites that live in blood vessels of heart and lung, coughing and lung filling up with water causes difficulties in breathing, blood circulation disorder and can be fatal.
'ㄱ' Animal Shelter. In this society of pet dog blind spot, shelters for abandoned dogs are emerging.
Director Park has been operating this abandoned animal shelter since 2003.
By operating pet dog farm, he has witnessed so many dogs being abandoned or euthanized.
When the dog loses the ability to reproduce, they are called "waste dog" because they get discarded.
I brought the dogs here by stopping them from heading to auction market or other places that they should not be sent.
Director Park says this is a work that someone has to do.
He remembers the horrible conditions of the dogs when they first came to this shelter.
Also, he doesn't forget the truth that when people let go of greed, we can give these lives happiness.
Dogs that are mostly discarded in the dog farms are the ones that have uterine infection.
Water fills up in the uterus and Myoma is formed making them unable to reproduce. I bring those dogs here before they are sent to auctions.
So a lot of the dogs here have that condition.
Don't look at them just as animals but as lives. I don't even ask you to consider them as family.
Whatever the animals , consider them as real lives.
If so, you can't neglect those lives.
Yongseok Kang's "Frightening Truth"