Please support YAPA's new shelter project to save 500 dogs
Group introduction
We are Yongin Animal Protection Association, YAPA, which rescues and adopts abandoned dogs from two cities (Yongin and Gwangju) in South Korea. About 1,200 abandoned dogs are reported to YAPA from two cities every year. YAPA rescues and protects 700 dogs each year and finds a home for them in South Korea and other countries for adoption. In most shelters in South Korea, abandoned dogs are euthanased if no one claims them as an owner or adopted at a new home in 10 days. Our group has been rescuing abandoned dogs in those two cities' shelters for 10 years from such brutal euthanasia.
Current situation
The number of neglected and abandoned dogs has increased exponentially during the Corona crisis. These two cities have a lot of undeveloped and industry areas, and many dogs are kept outside without neutering care. Due to these circumstances, the growth of the dogs is exponential. Those pups that are born without care, are abandoned and brought into shelters. About 50 dogs come into the shelter each month. However, as most of them are mixes of medium and large dogs which are not preferred in South Korea, only 60% of the dogs find their home, and the rest are left in the shelter.
Our group started this activity to prevent dogs from being euthanized brutally. Our current shelter can only accommodate up to 300 dogs, but now the number of our dogs has grown to 500. As more and more abandoned dogs are coming into the shelter every day, there is no more space to protect them.
If this continues, it becomes inevitable to euthanize our own rescued dogs to make room. We can never do that. We cannot kill the dogs who we rescued and have been protected and fighting for their lives for many years.
So we searched for a solution and looked for bigger land for the shelter to move to protect our dogs. In the new place, we can protect 500 dogs safely and can take care of them until they find a home that they surely deserve.
Facing issues:
In the current shelter, 5-6 dogs are sharing one unit due to lack of space. As several dogs are sharing a tight space, sometimes they get high tempered which leads them to get into fights, even worse, they get hurt.
The dog playground is being used as a regular protecting area due to the high number of dogs, and walks are only allowed when volunteers come. In this circumstance, currently, each dog is only allowed to go out once a month.
Our solution and plan
Instead of five, only two to three dogs will be sharing one room. It will reduce stress for dogs, fights will be less likely to happen thus dogs will get hurt less.
In one lined dog house, around 8-10 dog rooms will be placed next to each other, where they can share the one playground. We plan to have 20 lined dog house which contains 187 rooms with 20 playgrounds, available for 500 dogs. It is a huge improvement of the current situation as currently, dogs cannot come out every day due to the limitation of the spaces. With the new plan, each dog house will have a small or large playground so they can come out any time and play every day outside.
With the new organized facility, we can properly train them and take care of dogs that need special care, such as timid dogs traumatized dogs, or elderly dogs.
We urgently need your help to build a new shelter for those 500 dogs. With your support, we can continue protecting them, taking care of them, and giving better life till they find a warm family.