One of the first things I found out about
Kimchi Man when we met is that he owns a dog. The cute little white fluff was right there among his profile pictures. Underneath it said that it was a Korean Jindo dog. I have never heard of that breed so I searched online for any information I could get. At that time I was in serious Kimchi-Man-stalking-mode. Luckily for me, he found it flattering, not creepy.
I found out that Jindo dog is a breed of medium-sized hunting dog. They are very rare outside of South Korea. Koreans are so proud of their loyal dogs that they designated the Jindo as the Korean Natural Treasure. The name Jindo come from Jindo Island, the third largest Island in South Korea, where they are thought to have originated from.
Jindo dogs are very curious, active and intelligent. These are wonderful qualities but sadly it also leads to people abandoning them when they realize they are not able to give that much time and energy. Kimchi Man’s dog is a female. She gets regular walks and goes hiking often, but still has enough energy to hide Kimchi Man’s clothes in the rice fields, run away to visit the neighborhood dogs, push Kimchi Man out of his own bed, and find her way between him and the webcam when we are chatting. I am always curious to find out which mischief she is going to do next.
Since they have strong legs (I heard the same said for Korean men
) if Jindo dog is kept in a yard nothing short of a 6 feet fence will keep them in, and in some instances they have been known to even managed to scale an 8 feet fence. They are real escape artists.
Jindo dogs are also very loyal and bond closely with their owner. When Kimchi Man returned home after spending a year with me in Europe, for her it was as if he never had left.
Particular instances of loyalty have even made some Jindos famous in South Korea. A dog named Baekgu (백구) who had lived with her owner for 7 years was sold to a new one 180 miles (300 km) away. It took the dog 7 months to get back after she escaped but, hungry and exhausted, she did return. Impressed with her loyalty, the old lady who was the original owner decided to keep the dog, and they remained together until the dog died of natural causes, 7 years later. In Baekgu’s honor a statue was erected in her hometown.
I’ve seen lots of these beautiful dogs around. They really are gorgeous.
Aren’t these also the ones they eat? There was a dog farm near my old house, up near Seoul and the dogs there looked like Jindo dogs. Any idea?
I seriously doubt those are Jindo dogs since Koreans make very clear distinction between pet dogs and livestock dogs.
Korean livestock dogs are yellowish medium-sized dog and they might look similar to Jindos in your eyes.
I JUST read this, but my Korean boyfriend has a Jindo too! She is a BEAUTY, and I’m all for getting another one in the future together. Hehe. I also did hella research on this when I found out the boyfriend had one too :P
Did you ever meet her? I can’t wait to meet my boyfriend’s dog. So far I have only seen her on webcam.
Yes! I play with her all the time when I’m at his house, haha! And I feed her and stuff. She’s SO energetic and active! I hope you get to meet your boyfriend’s dog soon! I totally want one in the future. XP
Thanks! You are lucky.
I heard a children’s book was written based on Baekgu, do you know the name of it? Can you ask Kimchi-Man for the name if you don’t know? I really want it and I think it would be good practice for my Korean if it is a kid’s book ^^
I hope this Baekgu is the Baekgu you mentioned. Baekgu means white dog.
The owner and Baekgu died so there’s only statues left in their village, but Baekgu left her child and owner’s son is raising it.
Children’s book: 돌아온 진돗개 백구.