It’s been almost three weeks since a three-year-old Harriet and around 200 other dogs were rescued from a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea. Nash McCutchen of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay told the Dodo the dogs did have some shelter from the elements, but no protection from the cold and snow on the sides of their cages. The dogs were crammed into the cages together, living in their own filth, while food was occasionally thrown into the cages to fatten the dogs up ready for slaughter. Reportedly the conditions they were existing under were deplorable.

Dog rescued from the meat farm would have been slaughtered

McCutchen went on to explain that if Harriet had stayed at the dog meat farm, she and her fellow dogs would have been killed for their meat. Reportedly this would have been in a brutal and painful way, as dogs at meat farms are tortured and are not always dead when they are skinned.

Harriet was among 13 of the dogs rescued by the Humane Social International (HSI) and flown to San Francisco to experience a new life, but she was still very traumatized by what she had gone through.

She initially didn’t respond to any attempts at interaction at the shelter and had to be carried out of her cage as, like the other dogs, she had no idea how to walk on a leash. Unused to wide open spaces, McCutchen said Harriet would then stand there, unmoving and unsure what to do.

Harriet the rescued dog gradually recovers

Staff at the shelter refused to give up on Harriet, despite her many problems and the shelter’s volunteer manager, Leslie Menochino, brought the rescued dog into the office one day to give her some relief from the stress of being in a strange kennel. However, after Menochino lay down a blanket for Harriet, she just stood on it, unsure what to do.

Sometime later she started to doze off, standing up. Menochino then grabbed her phone to film Harriet and the footage can be seen in the video below.

Initially Harriet continued to doze in a standing position, until Menochino helped her to lie down on the comfortable blanket, which became the dog’s first bed. According to McCutcheon, the dogs were so tightly packed into their cages at the dog meat farm, they would sleep standing, with their fellow dogs holding them up. Harriet did eventually get comfortable and slept for a couple of hours.

Harriet is not ready for adoption just yet

As reported by the Mirror Online, it will still be some time before Harriet is ready for adoption, but according to McCutcheon she is making some excellent progress.

Since that day, she has managed to take treats from Menichino’s hand and has finally taken to the leash for a walk.

The shelter says there is still quite a lot of work to do with Harriet before she will be comfortable to move into a forever home and they will care for her until she is ready. Interested readers can contact the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to check on the rescued dog's progress and possibly offer her a safe and happy forever home.
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