“Heaven helped…”
On the 4th, actor Lee Yong-nyeo (65), who is called’Yoo Gi-dog’s godmother’, told a reporter. On the 28th of last month, the scene where a large fire horse swept away was terrible. At that time, the house where Lee lived with small and medium-sized dogs was burned down by fire. It was an urgent situation that he couldn’t bring a single underwear, but Mr. Lee was grateful that the fire had not spread to the mountain behind him. “If the fire got bigger because there was a village nearby, it would have been a big deal,” he said.
At Lee’s abandoned dog shelter in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, volunteers were in the midst of dealing with accidents. The reporter also applied for volunteer work and went to the field. I received permission to report from Mr. Lee in advance, and I was able to listen to their stories by getting interview permission during the break so as not to interfere with the work of Mr. Lee and the volunteers.
On the afternoon of the 4th, actor Lee Yong-nyeo’s stray dog shelter. Some of the abandoned dogs died in a fire that occurred here on the 28th of last month, and Lee’s living space was burned down. Reporter Ham Min-jung
Abandoned dogs covered in black ash
I arrived at the stray dog shelter around 10:40 am that day. The smell of burnt still vibrated at the scene. The fur of the stray dogs was stained with a dark gray color. After the fire was turned off, the shelter was left with only the skeleton. In the space of the house, there were piles of black ash mixed with dirt, household items, broken glass, and dog gum.
On the 5th day after the fire broke out, the water supply was cut off here. It is said that on the day of the fire, the electricity was cut off and he lived in the dark. As soon as possible, Mr. Lee connected electricity to a large dog house living with about 30 remaining abandoned dogs. The shelter on fire was where Lee has been living with abandoned dogs since 2017. The fire incurred more than 100 million won in property damage.
On the afternoon of the 4th, a part of the large-sized silkworm of actor Lee Yong-nyeo’s abandoned dog shelter was sooted by fire. Mr. Lee explained, “The building was built with non-combustible material, so fortunately, the fire did not catch on to the large-sized dog temple.” Reporter Ham Min-jung
“I can’t see the pretty fat bulldog”
An abandoned dog asking for a nap at the abandoned dog shelter of actor Lee Yong-nyeo on the afternoon of the 4th. On the 28th of last month, Mr. Lee said he suffered property damage of over 100 million won in the fire that occurred there. Reporter Ham Min-jung
From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 12 volunteers visited the place and sweat. They collected waste separately, took out the blankets inside the silk and dried them in the sun, and carried out sponsorship items together. He wore work gloves, but the underneath of his nails quickly turned black. At the time of volunteer application, notices such as’restriction of taking pictures’ and’Please refrain from questioning about the fire situation’ were announced in the cafe notice. The volunteers kept this notice and worked silently.
It is said that volunteers who had known Lee’s stray dog shelter before the fire were surprised by the news of the accident. Kim Mo (female, Yongsan, Seoul), who came with two friends, said, “It’s been about 7 years since I got to know Lee’s stray dog shelter.” “I had a bulldog friend, but I couldn’t walk well because I was fat. I liked the side of the stove, but I can’t see it now.”
The waste collected by volunteers at the abandoned dog shelter of actor Lee Yong-yeo on the afternoon of the 4th. It is said that a waste vehicle came in several times the day before and loaded the waste. Reporter Ham Min-jung
Hamo (41, female), who has been volunteering about once a month since last year, also paid a monthly difference and visited this place with her nephews, who are college students. Mr. Ha said, “It’s terrible. I can’t see the pretty Maltese. Puppies also turned into charcoal soot.” Park Mo (59, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do), who wore a pink raincoat and started volunteering, said, “Like Lee, there are a lot of people in the country who manage abandoned dogs alone. I hope that the number of abandoned dogs will be reduced by making the law properly.”
On this day, the waste was removed by Mr. Seo Hwang-il (64), a resident of the same village. Mr. Seo, the representative of the construction industry, said, “I’ve been helping to separate and collect waste from the 1st,” he said, “I didn’t really think about it at first, but fortunately, my job is going well.” I have to shovel and have a lot of work to do… “I said.
Sponsored goods are coming in, but bottled water is quickly emptied.
On the afternoon of the 4th, a volunteer who visited actor Lee Yong-nyeo’s stray dog shelter is going to clean up the blanket after drying the blanket on the large silk thread. On this day, the volunteers cleaned up the waste, robbed and dried the blankets covered by stray dogs, and organized sponsored items. Reporter Ham Min-jung
In the afternoon, a courier box marked’Lee Yong-nyeo’s clothes’ and 50 packs containing 6 2L bottled water were delivered. Volunteers moved the donation goods delivered by courier to the warehouse. After seeing the news, Jeong-mo (31, female), who came from Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, took an invoice with a mobile phone every time a courier came. He said, “I have been volunteering for the third day from Tuesday.” “The sponsorship items mainly came in clothes, blankets, and water.”
However, the amount of delivery of sponsorship products was not very large. The bottled water also said that it would start out quickly in a few days. On this day, a couple took a tour of the site and supported the cost of demolition. His wife Hammo (45, female) said, “I wasn’t happy from the standpoint of raising a dog. I came to help a little.” Her husband, 50-year-old Son Mo, who runs an exhibition equipment company, said, “I will continue to visit in the future to see the progress of the work.”
“I feel it’s still a world worth living”
On the afternoon of the 4th, actor Lee Yong-nyeo works in a temporary kitchen in front of a large dog shelter among abandoned dog shelters. Lee is solving meals with cup noodles, bread, and coffee here. Reporter Ham Min-jung
Lee, who has devoted all his fortune to caring for abandoned dogs and cats for 18 years alone, has been guarding them for a single day after the fire. Mr. Lee said, “Even when I had a big deal in my life, I hardly ever felt embarrassed,” he said. “I just take (this fire) calmly.” He said, “I can’t be forgiven by the dead stray dogs, but I have a lot of work to do right now, so I’ll get rid of the emotional part after clearing the scene.”
Mr. Lee thanked the volunteers and said, “I know that the world is still worth living and there are many people who care about someone’s pain.” Regarding abandoned dogs, he said, “My life itself” and “life as an actress is not big. I’ve been working hard for 40 years and it’s just one of the things I wanted to do.” He said, “In return for having been loved a lot in my life, I will try to solve even the smallest problems with stray dogs before dying.”
Mr. Lee said that the system for animal protection needs to be changed. “There is nothing that can protect children because there is no common sense law on animals in a rule of law,” he said. He said, “In the end, mad cow disease, AI, and Corona 19 will bring disaster to us,” he said. “I want to say that the animal problem is not only homework for animal groups or people who raise animals.” Said energetically.
Reporter Ham Min-jung [email protected]
