Adopted! Korean Meat Trade foster finds her forever home!

Great news!

The Hopeless Adoption Railroad was a complete success. I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to adopt out my korean meat trade foster. She is currently in her new home and thriving, but I'll get to that part in a sec.

Initially, the trip got off to a VERY rocky start. As many of you know, she has a bite history and is high “flight-risk” (the Dog Meat Trade community uses this phrase to describe escape artists). If she were to get out, there’s no catching her. Of course, I took all precautions possible, and then some, to ensure her safety.

 Everything was fine until the airline needed to inspect her crate. The problem? They wanted me to take her out of the crate..... in the main foyer. The massive, sliding exit doors were about 30 feet away, and people were crowding the airport. If I were to open her cage in that situation, she’d bite me, run off, and probably get hit by a car. I warned the staff about this, but they insisted I had to do it there, in front of the TSA cameras.

After quite a bit of brainstorming and favor-asking, a supervisor cleared their enclosed break room to inspect her crate. Wew! Problem evaded. When I got to my layover in Seattle, I was relieved to discover they already had an enclosed pet cargo inspection area. 

I’ve been fostering her since January and put sooo much time and love into her. She’s so much better, but has a long way to go. Being on planes is traumatic to most dogs, but it’s even worse for her. When she flew in from Korea, she was trapped in cargo hold for 25 hours!! No food, no bathroom breaks. I love her so much, I can’t imagine her finally getting adopted, then getting killed at the airport due to something so preventable.

When we arrived to Charleston, it was nighttime and we spent the night at a hotel. I used that as an opportunity to get in some last-minute ear-scratches and wish her good bye. She was more ready for this adoption than I was. I expected her to regress with her training a bit, between all the flights and layovers and hotels, but nope. She did fine. At every stop, she trusted me more. I think that made it even harder wishing her goodbye.

Most of my dog adoptions are happy moments, where I enrich families with an additional member. This adoption was bittersweet. I couldn't help but think "she's going to be so confused". She trusted me so much, and now I'm abandoning her in someplace totally foreign with a bunch of strangers.

I went over training routines with her adopters. I went through safety precautions and emergency plans. I went through tools and food and gear. I prepared them in every way that I could, and they were enthusiastic about the challenge. They loved her immediately, and I knew they were the right family for her. Despite all that, I left with a feeling of uncertainty and worry.

In the coming days, I've felt much more sound. I've gotten plenty of updates and they're doing the training I stressed. She's eating normally, socializing with the other pets in the house, and even allowing her adopters to pet her. I'm incredibly proud. I've given so much of my soul to this dog.