How we adopted a puppy from South Korea

After two years of having one dog, we made the decision that we were ready to take on the challenge of owning another! Going into the process, we knew that we had a few conditions that needed to be met to make this work. We did not want a puppy, as we did not want to go through the “puppy struggles”, and we wanted a female dog similar in size and age of our first girl, Brady. My husband has a friend who is part of an organization who rescues dogs from “the meat trade” in Asian countries. They handle everything from overseeing the dog’s healing process to the coordination of their journey to their adopters or foster home. After months of following along on different social media pages, we found the perfect pup-girl through an organization called Second Chance Dogs & Cats.

Kya, formerly “Lola”, was a street dog who was taken to at a kill shelter in South Korea in February 2018. After months of healing and training, she was flown to Chicago in August to be picked up and fostered by a woman in Northern Michigan. A couple of families had gone through the application process to adopt Kya, but for personal reasons, decided not to go through with it’s completion. Kya would lay in the corner of her cold and dark cage, wondering why no one wanted to give her a chance. With December quickly approaching, Kya was taken by her foster to visit a mall Santa (true story) for pictures. It is here where we think she asked Santa for a family, because two weeks later, we were approved to bring her home! And the day after Thanksgiving, we did just that!

Our newest “dogter” didn’t immediately fit right in. Just like any addition to a family, she came with challenges. Because of Kya’s background, she was not used to being in a home that had rules. She was not a good listener and would beg for food constantly, she did not know what toys were or how to play with them, and she did not want to play with other dogs. My biggest suggestion when deciding to adopt a dog, would be to have patience. Week by week, belly scratch by belly scratch, we began to gain her trust, and she was showing signs of improvement. By week 2 she was fully potty trained, by week 3 she would snuggle with us, and by week 5 she picked up and chewed on her first toy! Fast forward to today, and she is sprinting around the yard, playing with her sister non-stop! Her personality has blossomed, and she is always so happy! Seriously, we nicknamed her ‘happy feet’ because she always tap dances around when she gets excited!

The team with Second Chance does so much for these animals and I admire them for that! They rescue dogs all across Asia from meat trades, kill shelters, breeding farms, etc. It does not happen overnight! It takes passion, commitment, and plenty of donations to keep international adoption groups such as this going.

If you decide to adopt a dog, you will not regret it. Just remember, patience. We don’t know what these animals went through prior to us, and we can’t change their past, but we can impact the rest of their lives. And with a little love and patience their future will be nothing but bright.

Stay Fearless,

Michelle Foster