Dog rescued from Korean meat farm has new home, new name

Bart, a dog who arrived at the Sacramento SPCA in September after being rescued from a Korean meat farm, now has a new home and a new name.

Lesley Kirrene, spokeswoman for the Sacramento SPCA, said Bart, a 1 1/2 -year-old mastiff-hound mix, was adopted over the weekend by Drake Ussery and Taylor Johnson, who christened him “Chance.” Chance’s new family includes Jake, a 3-year-old German shepherd that Ussery adopted through the German Shepherd Rescue Foundation.

Kirrene said Ussery reported Monday that Chance is doing well and follows Jake everywhere. He “watched” a movie with his new family Sunday night.

Chance was one of 10 dogs rescued from Korea, where they were bred for meat. Sacramento SPCA staff members and volunteers cared for them, helping them learn to trust people and live as companion animals rather than livestock. Chance was the last of the 10 to be adopted.

Kirrene said Chance was not accustomed to living outside a cage when he arrived in Sacramento, and was paralyzed with fear. The SPCA last week released a video showing him getting used to the outdoors, first by riding on a flatbed cart propelled by his handler. Three months later, he was shown happily walking on a leash.

“Drake saw the video and felt that he had done a good job bringing up Jake and that he and Taylor were ready for a dog that might need even a little more work,” Kirrene said.

Kirrene said Ussery and Johnson canceled a trip to Disneyland so they can spend time with Chance before they return to work next week.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Dog rescued from Korean meat farm has new home, new name."