At the request of Humane Society International (HSI), two of 23 dogs rescued from a meat farm in South Korea are being transferred to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey today. The ASPCA Rehabilitation Center is the first and only facility dedicated to the behavioral rehabilitation of fearful and undersocialized homeless dogs, and HSI contacted the ASPCA after it became apparent that the dogs needed behavioral rehabilitation.

Our animal behavior experts and support staff will work daily with the two dogs—a white Jindo named Robin and a Husky mix named Kaya—until they are ready for adoption. The team will utilize scientific techniques to reduce the dogs’ fear of people, as well as to gradually acclimate them to unfamiliar objects, sounds, living areas, and real-life situations that can induce trauma and severe distress.

“The ASPCA is pleased to be in a position to help these two dogs overcome their past and begin a new life,” said Kristen Collins, Senior Director of ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Rehabilitation. “We’ve gained a tremendous amount of insight into behavioral rehabilitation over the past two years since the launch of our program, and we hope to help countless more dogs like Kaya and Robin recover and find permanent homes.”

We are thrilled to help Kaya and Robin begin their road to recovery, and we look forward to giving many more innocent victims of cruelty and neglect a second chance at life. To see the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in action, check out the story of Coconut, a traumatized puppy mill dog who was rehabilitated and adopted into a loving home.