Sapsarees: Saving A Rare Dog Breed

Sapsarees are nothing if not survivors. Once a breed beloved on the peninsula for its loyalty, intelligence and playfulness, the Sapsaree came close to extinction in World War II, when the only use the ruling Japanese could find for them were as fur and skin for winter uniforms. Some estimate that 100,000 to 500,000 dogs were killed each year for three years."Although lots of people are killed in war, the extermination of dogs in such large numbers is unprecedented," Mr. Ha said. The Japanese contempt for the animal was based on Japan's own standards of classification and registration of breeds. Japanese breeders began to classify their native breeds in the 1930s, identifying dogs now famous around the world: the Akita, Shiba, Kishu and Hokkaido. Breeds that were classified as native were protected as Natural Monuments. In occupied Korea, a similar program was carried out in the late '30s, classifying the native Jindo and Poongsan breeds as being linked to Japanese breeds and hence worthy of protection. Other breeds, including the Sapsaree, were considered mutts best used for fur or meat. "Before that time, there was no such thing as a 'Jindo dog'," although the dog certainly existed, Mr. Ha said. After Korea gained its independence, the inflow of western culture and popularity of foreign breeds as pets pushed the Sapsaree even closer toward the edge of extinction.