57 Dogs Saved From S. Korean Dog-Meat Farm

More than 50 dogs going up for adoption in San Francisco have an unusual pedigree: All were destined to become dinner before their rescue. Two groups, Humane Society International and the Change for Animals Foundation, removed the 57 animals from a dog-meat farm in South Korea and flew them to the US, reports USA Today. It's part of an international campaign to try to stop the practice of using dogs for food, one that advocates hope will gain steam thanks to the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. In this particular rescue case, the farmer agreed to shut down his dog-meat operation and grow vegetables instead.

"They've been starved of love their whole lives, living in fear and deprivation," an HSI official tells AP. "As soon as we opened their cage doors and they realized we weren't going to harm them, they wagged their tails and licked our faces." Thousands of South Korean farms kill an estimated 2 million dogs a year for meat, usually by electrocution, reports USA Today. But one hopeful sign for dog lovers: The meat seems to be falling out of favor in the country. (More dogs stories.)