149 dogs rescued from South Korean 'dog eating' festival

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin -- Nearly 150 dogs destined to be eaten in South Korea are now safe in the United States, according to animal welfare activists in Wisconsin.

The Humane Animal Welfare Society in Waukesha County are now in a race to rehome the rescued animals with loving forever homes, WISN-TV reports.

Jennifer Smieja said the group rescued the dogs during a festival in South Korea known as 'Bok Nal Days,' where the dogs would have been slaughtered and used in a soup.

"These dogs deserve to have wonderful loving homes," Smieja said.

The animals were quarantined, examined for medical issues, and given vaccinations. Soon, they will be ready to meet their new owners, Smieja said.

"This is an amazing thing for us to do," Smieja said. "We're just a small shelter in Waukesha County that normally deals with the dogs here at home. And there's lot of dogs for us to deal with here at home. But this is a chance for us to make a difference on a global scale."

The organization said it expects to receive more dogs from South Korea in the coming days.

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