DAEJEON – A one-year-old Korean Jindo recently made headlines after the dog travelled a substantial distance to make it back home after going missing for 41 days.
A South Korean YouTube channel on May 7 posted the story of the dog Hong-min, which lives in the city of Daejeon with his owner Yoon Jeong-sang. Mr Yoon, an avid soccer fan and owner of 10 Jindos, named the dog after soccer superstar Son Heung-min, mistaking the footballer’s name for Son Hong-min.
The one-year-old dog went missing on March 24, when Mr Yoon took him to a dog convention held in Moksang-dong in Daejeon. The then 11-month-old dog, scared by the sounds from the loudspeaker and the other dogs barking, ran off.
Mr Yoon was unable to find him despite contacting local animal shelters and district offices. Hopes were not high for the dog to return home on his own, as the convention was held more than 20km away from their home and the area was completely new to the young dog.
On May 3, Mr Yoon was alerted by the dogs barking at the junkyard he runs. He saw brown fur that reminded him of Hong-min and called out: “Hong-min, is that you?”
He approached the animal, which was wagging its tail, and found that it was indeed his young dog that had gone missing.
Despite wandering the streets for over a month, the dog did not lose much weight or suffer major injuries, according to Mr Yoon. The only medical care he needed was for the ticks he attracted while in the wilderness.
Mr Yoon said that Hong-min spent a few days back home lying down, but has since fully recovered and is eating and playing well.
The owner noted that the dog had been particularly smart and gentle from a very young age, and that he picked up on basic commands like “sit” or “get up” unusually quickly.
Indigenous to the South Korean island of Jindo, South Jeolla province, Jindo dogs are known for their intelligence and loyalty. There have been some stories of Jindo dogs travelling great distances to locate their owners.
In 2000, the Jindo dog Jinsuni made headlines by returning on her own to home in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, multiple times, once after being kidnapped and taken to Gochang, North Jeolla province, some 200km away. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
