The cost of pet transport services for travelers to bring their dogs to Toronto has risen significantly.
Mr. S, who lives in Toronto, said, “The key fee for bringing a pet from Korea was about $500, excluding quarantine and transportation fees, but it doubled to $1,000 after the pandemic. The fee for bringing a pet to Toronto only through a company, not a passenger, is “It amounts to $3,600,” he said.
As long-distance overseas travel increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer work to take adopted dogs abroad is also gaining popularity.
Eo Yoon-ah (32), an office worker who adopts and raises abandoned dogs, became interested after seeing singer Lee Hyo-ri announce her mobile service on the entertainment program ‘Canada Check-in’ at the end of last year. As he was planning to go on vacation to New York, USA this month, he contacted two animal-related organizations he knew and applied for mobile volunteer work.
When Mr. Eo booked plane tickets to New York, he also provided space for two dogs. He completed customs paperwork at the New York airport and handed over the dogs he had taken in checked baggage to their new owners.
Mr. Eo said, “I am interested in animal welfare, but it is not easy to take action directly, such as volunteering at a shelter.” He added, “If you add minimal effort to travel and business trips, you can help new lives for animals waiting for a home indefinitely at the shelter.” “There is no reason not to do it,” he said.
In online communities and social media, you can easily find posts sharing experiences of overseas volunteer service or asking about methods.
One netizen said, “The family I went with was reluctant to send luggage for a stranger, and I was anxious about quarantine and customs,” and “But upon arriving in New York, the warm eyes of the immigration officer looking at the pet dog made it seem as if the adopter had met her first child. “It was touching to see him so happy,” he wrote.
The animal rights group CARE reported that it has recently received more than 10 applications per month for mobile volunteer service to the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Kim Young-hwan, CEO of Care, said, “Overseas mobile volunteering has been done in the past, but the influence of the media has definitely been significant. Applications have increased by more than 50% since Hyo-ri Lee’s broadcast at the end of last year.”
Animal Rights Action Kara received a total of 435 mobile volunteer applications last year. Of these, 141 cases that met the schedule and airline conditions were successful.
A KARA official said, “As applications for overseas mobile volunteer work have appeared in the media and the number of travelers going abroad has increased as COVID-19 has been lifted, the number of applications has increased compared to before.”