Golden Retriever rescued from dog meat farm in South Korea now 'happy' living in Brighton

• ITV News Meridian's Charlotte Wilkins has been to meet Henry and Claire

A Golden Retriever who was kept in squalid conditions in South Korea and bred for his meat now lives in Brighton with his rescuer who describes him as a "happy, goofy, fun loving dog".

Like around a million other dogs in South Korea, Henry was kept in squalid conditions with little food and water and bred for his meat.

He was rescued by Humane Society International which has saved more than 2,700 dogs from dog farms across South Korea since 2015.

The dogs have then found adoptive homes in the UK, United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, with a small number re-homed in South Korea.

Today, South Korea’s parliament has endorsed landmark legislation banning the dog meat industry.

The bill would make the slaughtering, breeding, trade and sales of dog meat for human consumption illegal from 2027 and punish such acts with two to three years in prison.

It means that dogs like Henry will not be bred for their meat and will be able to live a normal life.

Henry lives with Claire Bass who helped rescue him and is the senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International UK.

When arriving at the site, Ms Bass said: "The first thing you hear is horrendous barking, just a cacophony of despair from all these dogs in these tiny wire cages and then you get the smell.

"There's obviously a huge amount of dog waste there. They're fed on restaurant slops which also stink."

She added: "He (Henry) was a broken soul really, he looked like the lights were on but no-one was home."

In eight years, the charity has closed 18 farms and has worked alongside dog meat farmers to switch them to a more animal friendly business model like growing chillies or parsley plants.

She said: "Obviously cultures change, they're not static and we never believe that culture is an excuse for cruelty so the good news is that the younger generation in countries including Korea are really rejecting that cruelty and they've been the ones that are leading the charge and the campaign for change and to say we don't want this as part of our culture anymore or part of our diet."

She added: "It's been a real privilege to be part of his transformation into the happy, goofy, fun loving dog that he is today."

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