Two large dogs found in the middle of the Seohaean Expressway and rescued by citizens have safely returned to their owner. Although there were concerns that the dogs had been abandoned on the highway, it was confirmed that they had escaped from a nearby house.
On the 11th, the Dangjin City Animal Shelter in Chungnam announced that two female Samoyeds, aged 3 and 5, rescued from the Seohaean Expressway, were handed over to their owner that morning. Kang Hyo-jeong, head of the Dangjin City Animal Shelter, said, "The shelter opens at 9 a.m., but the owner came earlier and waited until the doors opened to take the dogs." The adoption notice for the Samoyeds on the shelter’s website was also updated to "Return Completed," indicating the dogs had been returned to their owner.
According to the animal shelter, the rescued dogs were kept at a nearby home near the expressway and had escaped through a poorly secured gate. The owner had been desperately searching for the dogs after they went missing and came to the shelter after seeing the news article. It was also reported that, following this incident, the owner successfully completed the registration process for the microchip identification implanted in the dogs.
Kim Kang-eon, the person who rescued the Samoyeds, posted on his social media on the same day, "Thanks to the interest and efforts of many people, the two dogs have returned to their original owner," adding, "I am very glad that the rescued dogs were not abandoned by their owner."
Kim had shared on Instagram the day before that he found and rescued two Samoyeds on the Seohaean Expressway southbound lane 1 in Dangjin City, Chungnam, and released footage from his car’s black box. The video showed two Samoyed dogs standing alone in the first lane of the expressway. Although it was a dangerously risky situation that could have led to a major accident, cars slowed down and changed lanes to avoid the dogs, preventing any collisions.
When Kim got out of his car and called the dogs over, they wagged their tails and came running, climbing into the back seat of his car and were moved to a safe place. He described the dogs as "so calm and well-behaved, as if they were used to riding in cars and considered it their own spot. They showed no fear of people and were very gentle," adding, "I sincerely hope they were not abandoned." Afterwards, with the help of the police and city officials, Kim handed the Samoyeds over to animal rescue personnel, and the dogs were being cared for at the Dangjin City Animal Protection Center.
Netizens who heard the news responded with comments such as "I’m relieved it wasn’t abandonment" and "Both the dogs and the owner must have been shocked."
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