The inimitable Awkwafina embraced a new furry buddy– a sweet shelter dog who originated from a really unique place.
” Everyone, satisfy Haeng-Un Lum, brand-new to America and the newest member of my household,” the 32-year-old Nora From Queens and Raya and the Last Dragon star said in an Instagram post commemorating the 2-year-old puppy. Awkwafina then goes on to discuss how she fulfilled Haeng-Un Lum through a nonprofit based in her home district of Queens, called Korean K9 Rescue (KK9R).
Founded in 2017 by Gina Boehler, Korean K9 Rescue’s mission is saving pets from Boehler’s native South Korea and bringing them to NYC for fostering and adoption, where the previous strays have a much better possibility of discovering a permanently home. Up until now, KK9R has saved and embraced out more than 1,200 pets each year.
KK9R has actually established a network of volunteers in Korea who negotiate directly with farmers and shelter owners, protecting the pet dogs and taking them to KK9R centers where they can be quarantined and taken a look at.
Boehler informs Daily Paws that the pets enter their rescue center in Bundang, Korea for a minimum of 30 days prior to flying to the U.S. for adoption. “Depending on the pet’s requirements, they might end up staying much longer if they have health problems or need extended rehabilitation training with our trainers.”
Staff members examine each pet dog to see whether they need more time to decompress or tutoring on training abilities such as how to walk with a leash. If they need medical attention or need time to recuperate away from other animals, the KK9R center allows for that, too.
” They’re given structure, routine, and a constant schedule that allows them to feel safe and acclimate to the humans handling them,” Boehler says. She adds that KK9R’s South Korea rescue place is state-of-the-art– maybe even the most modern one in the country. “All of our dogs live inside in a modern, climate-controlled facility with healthy, high-quality food.”
The work doesn’t stop as soon as the dogs show up stateside. Everyone from KK9R– volunteers, prospective foster moms and dads, and adoption candidates– is provided training and support in looking after dogs who’ve been saved from terrible and difficult environments. The KK9R team in New York participates in at least two seminars or workshops each year with trainers who specialize in restoring afraid and feral pet dogs, Boehler says.
Adopting any canine can be a duration of modification, even more so for first-time adopters. These pups have been through a lot in their short lives, and they need a specifically constant, encouraging hand.
” Most of our pet dogs have actually never lived indoors with human beings prior to, let alone in a hectic city like NYC. … Training in the early days of positioning into a brand-new house has been key to setting up our pet dogs for success and keeping them in forever houses.
Originally, KK9R promoted and adopted pet dogs exclusively in the New York city. In February of this year, they expanded their adoption radius to include Westchester and Dutchess counties in New York, as well as parts of Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, plus Washington D.C. KK9R wants to continue to expand in the future, however because these puppers require such unique attention, Boehler wants to make sure the program grows in the proper way.
” [KK9R thinks] in foster-based adoptions,” she says. “We want to build a foster network in some cities first before broadening. We prepare to keep growing our rescue responsibly and inform and spread out awareness about our mission.”
For her part, Awkwafina enjoys to help spread awareness of KK9R’s message through her own involvement, and Haeng-Un Lum already seems very delighted with a brand-new human buddy along with a new furry buddy at home to hang with– Awkwafina’s beloved cat, Gus.
” She is such a really thoughtful individual,” Boehler says of the star and comic. “Her picking to embrace her Korean pet dog in NYC did make an effective impact, especially on her advocates who already understood she is a big fan of the charity and nonprofit groups.”
It’s a groundswell of attention that Boehler hopes can assist even more KK9R’s mission and bring much more of these very special pet dogs to the United States and to new, happy lives.
” Hopefully, we can reach and inspire people to embrace a dog no matter where they are from and continue to spread out the message of all mistreated animals in need of a permanently home.”
