90 Dogs From a South Korean Meat Farm Had a Layover in Cambridge, Ontario

In September 2018, Simon Cowell gave £25,000 (about $32,640) to a Humane Society International appeal to shut down a dog meat farm in South Korea. More than 200 dogs and puppies were being kept in cages there.¹

Canadian news outlets later reported that the farm had closed and its dogs had gone to shelters overseas. They said Cowell’s donation helped make the rescue possible.³⁴

The farm is one of many. HSI says more than 2.5 million dogs a year are raised on thousands of dog meat farms in South Korea. It also says eating dog meat is declining, especially among younger people.¹

What the money was for

HSI announced the gift on September 27, 2018. At that point the group said it had already permanently closed 12 dog meat farms and saved nearly 1,400 dogs.¹

“His generosity will help us enormously in our rescue mission to save these 200 or more dogs from a life of misery and find them loving homes,” Kitty Block, president of Humane Society International, said in the group’s announcement.¹

“Simon’s generous donation means the world to us, and provides a huge boost to our appeal to close this horrendous dog meat farm,” Claire Bass, HSI U.K. executive director, said, as reported by The Korea Times. “These poor dogs have had the worst lives so far, so we’re desperate to get them out of those dreadful cages and show them love, soft beds and loving arms for the first time in their lives,” she said.²

Cowell was not new to the cause. He had backed HSI’s #EndDogMeat campaign before, including in a Good Morning Britain interview the year before.¹ “Simon Cowell heard about the campaign and decided to support it,” Ewa Demianowicz, a campaign manager with HSI Canada, was quoted as saying by CBC News.³

A different crop for the farmers

HSI’s approach is not only about the dogs. The group works with dog meat farmers who want to leave the trade and helps them switch to other livelihoods, such as growing mushrooms or chili.¹

The Korea Times described Cowell’s gift as part of a series of high-profile challenges to South Korea’s dog meat culture. The paper noted that dog meat’s popularity is falling and authorities have toughened the rules.²

Where the dogs went

When it announced the donation, HSI said it hoped to send a rescue team as early as the following week. Most of the dogs would fly to Canada, with a few going to the U.K., the Netherlands and the U.S. for adoption.¹

The Niagara Falls Review later reported that the farm was in Namyangju and that it closed in October 2018. More than 200 dogs went to emergency shelters in Canada, the U.K., the U.S. and the Netherlands, according to the paper.⁴

CBC News reported that 90 of the dogs stayed temporarily at a shelter in Cambridge, Ontario, before moving to Montreal for rehabilitation and adoption.³ Seventeen of the dogs were up for adoption in St. Catharines, Ontario, the Niagara Falls Review said.⁴