Local company helps Int’l Humane Society save dogs slated for slaughter
By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
It sounded a bit sensational, perhaps a little over-the-top when the Independent heard about a local effort to “rescue dogs from Korean restaurants.” It conjured up scenes from Lady & The Tramp, where dogs might be sharing a plate of spaghetti in the alley behind a restaurant until someone comes and snatches them away.
The real story isn’t quite that grandiose, but it’s a story nonetheless.
Elmhurst Animal Care Center (EACC) has been part of saving dogs from overseas along with a local company called Magnificent Mutts & Meows, owned by Linda Latelle. She was contacted by the Humane Society International to assist finding a place for ten dogs saved from a meat market in South Korea.
“They were named ‘The Magnificent 10,'” said Becky Nemchock, who put the Independent in touch with Latelle for an interview. “As you can imagine, they needed lots of love, attention and patience. EACC was able to provide them with lots of care and a number of them have been adopted to loving homes.”
Latelle was able to tell her story.
Pictured are Forrest, Bella, Rocky and Chloe, four dogs rescued from dog farms in Korea by the Humane Society International and brought to the United States where they are nursed back to health and prepared to join a loving family by Magnificent Mutts & Meows, owned by Linda Latelle. For information about adopting a dog, please visit magnificentmutts.com or find them on Facebook.
“I’m partners with the Humane Society International (HSI), I’m considered an emergency placement partner,” she told the Independent in an exclusive interview. “I’m the only one in Illinois.”
She went on to say that one of the missions of HSI is to go over to South Korea and other countries like Thailand, where they do “barbaric torturing” to some of these animals before they are eaten.
“That was the mission of HSI, to help dog meat farmers and close them down.”
Before blaming the dog “farmers,” one must hear the whole story.
“South Korea used to be such a poor country that people had to eat anything that moved, just to survive,” Latelle said. “It’s not that way anymore but people who have farmed dogs over the years don’t know any other way of life. Most farmers want to change, but don’t know how, so the HSI helps the dog meat farmers by taking the dogs and helping them set up a different kind of farm. Most are receptive.”
She said after closing down a few farms recently, HSI found themselves with ten dogs left and no place for them. That’s when they contacted Magnificent Mutts & Meows for a rescue effort.
The Magnificent 10 came to the U.S. on Feb. 5 of this year, Latelle said, and three are still up for adoption. But then a few weeks ago, she explained, she was asked to take six more dogs.
“This person was getting complaints from his neighbors about the 24/7 barking and the stench that goes with it,” she said. “The person who owned the dogs was a bit belligerent about them to HSI, saying, ‘Know what? If you want them, take them.’
“HSI said okay, but tell us more about your dogs, are they pets? At that point, the owner admitted that they were not pets, they were there for him and his buddies to hang them, watch them die and then slaughter it, cook it and eat it. They claim the more torture the dog sustains, the more tender the meat! Can you imagine?”
Latelle said dogs are often hanged or beaten, some are electrocuted, some are literally skinned alive.
“Part of my mission is to educate people that this really DOES go on and it doesn’t need to. With a collaborate effort, we could get [this treatment] made illegal and move forward.”
Some people have asked Latelle why she takes the dogs out of the country.
“I’ve been asked to help and part of my mission is educational not only in the U.S., but also all over the world,” she said. “If I can save a life, that’s my purpose. I want more people to be aware of what’s going on.”
Once the dogs are brought here from overseas, they are taken to a clinic like EACC where they are given their shots and are spayed or neutered as needed. Most of the time, these animals have endured so much that they might have high levels of stress and anxiety. Dogs with these conditions are often treated with CBD oil for dogs UK (or local equivalents) to reduce the symptoms. Also, some dogs might need excessive medical attention, sometimes even surgery, but the dogs end up being nice pets for families with children, according to Latelle.
At this time, Latelle is still seeking loving homes for some of the dogs and hopes people will step forward to adopt one or two.
“Just to watch them come in, scared, timid, fearful,” she said, “then shortly after, you see them come out of their shell and become ‘real dogs’ which give – and get – the warm fuzzies.”
To adopt a dog, visit magnificentmutts.org, where the dogs are pictured with descriptions. There are applications at the site, which are reviewed by staff, then people are contacted to see that they are a good fit.
“People are also welcome to visit our Facebook page, we are always updating all the fun stuff there all the time.”
It is Latelle’s hope that the readers of the Independent will consider adopting a dog, or at the very least, share the story of these dogs and how they live prior to rescue.
Let’s just say, they’re not having spaghetti in the alley with a lady friend.
