Bang Ool came
to KAPS as a puppy 11 years ago, when KAPS held a government contract and ran as
a public animal pound. Bang Ool caught the eye of a married couple and, with
little procedure, was adopted. Please note
that KAPS services now run very differently. We are a limited admission shelter
and do not perform euthanasia, baring exceptions where the animal is
experiencing a significantly diminished quality of life and does not respond to
treatment. 11 years after
his adoption from KAPS, the same couple surrendered Bang Ool to us. Owners
cited early morning barking and scratching, demanding to be let outside to go-bathroom,
as reason for surrender. The couple were older now and told us it was becoming
cumbersome. Also, they wanted to know if any puppies were available for
adoption. The staff taking
the phone call just sat in silence, gobsmacked. After briefly
consulting our director, we agreed to re-accept Bang Ool into our shelter – we
had concerns Bang Ool would be surrendered to a public animal pound and/or be
euthanised – and requested the current owners supply us with a formal letter of
Bang Ool’s surrender. We also informed the couple that they could not adopt
another animal from us.
KAPS ended the
contract with the government in 2014 and became a limited admission shelter. Since
that time KAPS has adopted progressively more strict adoption policies and
processes. Policies and processes ensure animal rescue and rehoming is
successful. And this work is not an easy challenge! According to an article on
UN Chronicle Korea’s website, only 12% of owners in South Korea keep their
animals until the animal passes away (https://m.blog.naver.com/unckor/221120626576). KAPS also receives many calls
from pet owners, asking to surrender their animal to us.
▲ Bang Ool in our shelter
Bang Ool lived
as the only dog in a family environment for over 10 years and consequently had
great difficulty adjusting to living in a shelter with approximately 12 other
dogs. He was overly
sensitive to all toing and froing, barked loudly and could not socialise well
with other dogs. The other shelter dogs ostracised him. ▲ Visiting Canadian
dog trainer Edward told us that Bang Ool showed an
obsession with the shelter’s front entrance. Every time someone arrived or left
the shelter, Bang Ool barked excessively. This caused the other dogs in the
shelter to become excited and bark too. Edward recommended daily walks to remedy Bang Ool's barking.
Our shelter
managers are limited for time and resources and could not dedicate time for
Bang Ool’s daily walk. We gave Bang Ool a (made for dogs) gum to chew to focus
his attention whilst in the same enclosure as other dogs. The gum did not avert
his attention and again Bang Ool’s behaviour earned him scratches and bites
from the other animals. ▲ Bang Ool
after being shaved and antiseptic applied to his scratch wounds.
▼ For Bang
Ool’s safety, we separated him from the other dogs. Bang Ool
hated being separated from our staff and other animals, regardless of the
wounds other dogs inflicted almost every other day. Bang Ool continued to bark. ▲ Bang Ool barking after being separated from the
other dogs. Our staff
at KAPS believed Bang Ool had little chance of being adopted to a good family. Later the
same year, American national Michael contacted us to see about adopting a dog.
He visited to our shelter, took a look around and told us he very much liked
Bang Ool. Michael had a son barely 3 years old and, quite concerned, our dog
shelter manager told Michael of Bang Ool’s behavioural issues. Michael was
confident he could appropriately train Bang Ool. As per our policy, Michael and
Bang Ool began their one-month trial. During the one-month
trial, Bang Ool reduced the frequency of his barking and, though at first, he
peed inside a few times, came to go-bathroom whilst on his twice daily walks. The one-month trial finished, and Michael decided to adopt
Bang Ool.
I later
asked Michael why he wanted to adopt Bang Ool. He told me Bang Ool seemed to be the least well-adjusted to
shelter life and guessed adoption would greatly improve Bang Ool’s quality of
life. Michael said he had been surrounded by
dogs growing up and, as he initially expected, Bang Ool adjusted well to family
life. Bang Ool’s age and bad behaviours did not impede his adoption and he found a
new home with Michael. It’s been 1
year since Michael adopted Bang Ool and the family is preparing to leave for
America in May. Bang Ool has received all the necessary vaccinations for
immigration and the family has organised his paper work. Bang Ool came to our
shelter for one final goodbye. Bang Ool looks very different now, after living
with a loving family for the past year. A video of Michael and
Bang Ool during their final visit to our shelter 2018 March 24. Read about Bang Ool's final visit to our shelter before emigrating to America. http://www.koreananimals.or.kr/229040
