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| Writer | Lee JiWoo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone number | 010******** | ||
| j******************** | |||
| Subject | Reborn: How Gangdong-gu helps stray dogs | ||
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(I is from the perspective of the reporter Lee Yoo Hyun) "Woof! Woof!" On the 20th day, when I walked into the 'Gangdong Reborn Center' in Sungnae-dong, I heard a big Jindo dog barking. The sound was powerful, but the dog's expression seemed terrified. A healing cloth was wrapped around the dog's neck, covering up the badly beaten wound. In the box right beside the Jindo Dog, a brown poodle was scratching the window while looking at me. The Seoul Gangdong District Office recently opened the Gangdong Ribbon Center, a café type stray animal distribution center, for the first time in the province of Sungnae-dong. I looked up at the kitchen right by the entrance and wondered why they set up a 'Cafe-type animal shelter.' Before opening the cafe, the District Office sent a stray dog to an animal foster care center in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do. The Korean Society for Animal Rescue and Management (KMSA) conducts the announcement of adoption procedures for more than 10 days. However, after a certain period of time, most pets are put down. It is because there are not many people who go far from Seoul to adopt or find stray animals. However, it is difficult in reality to install a shelter in the Seoul metropolitan area, where most of the stray dogs show up. Because the area is densely populated, there is not much room, and the area's residents often disagree building such a shelter due to its poor odor and hygiene. Therefore, Gangdong-gu chose to build a cafe. The manager said, "I thought that using a friendly space like a cafe would not only be possible to operate in the metropolitan area but also improve the awareness and accessibility of stray pets," he said. The main task here is to find new owners for the stray animals. If a person decides to adopt one, the puppy has to wait at least a month before getting adopted. The applicant cannot take the dog right away. The center gives a month's time to the applicant so that he/she gets a chance to worry about whether the applicant can be responsible for the dog until the end. If the applicant does not change his/her mind, he/she will be given a five-week compulsory education through the adoption process after the one-month period is over. During the training session, applicants will learn basic pet etiquettes such as discipline and responsibilities. Choi said, "I consult with the applicant for a long time so that the dogs don't become stray again." These elaborate systematic steps are necessary to operate the center. They always come with costly expenses. I asked the manager whether the budget was tight, and he said, "It would be great if the country could give us more support. However, we already have lots of donators, so we're operating the cafe without much struggle." When I asked about the goal that the manager would like to achieve, he said, "The people of our country obtain and throw away pets too easily. The first step to solving excess stray pets is education. We need education not only for the animals but also for humans and animals to live together," he said. "I hope our center will help improve animal culture." |
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