A dog whose family died in the airplane crash disaster at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Dec. 29 is starting over.
According to Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (Care Korea), the canine, named Pudding, lost nine family members when Jeju Air flight 7C2216 — an aircraft carrying 175 passengers and six crew members from Bangkok, Thailand, to South Korea — veered off the runway after landing and hit a concrete fence at the airport. The South Korean animal rescue organization added on social media on Tuesday, Dec. 31 that Pudding’s family traveled to Thailand to celebrate a family member’s birthday.
“They never returned,” the organization wrote. “And the empty house they left behind was haunted by their five-year-old granddaughter’s pet dog, Pudding. Pudding would stare at every car that drove into town, and the locals would feed him out of sympathy for the loss of his family.”
The organization said it determined that Pudding “was in danger roaming the town without a guardian” and stepped in to care for the dog until a “suitable guardian” could be found.
Alongside the message, Care Korea shared a video of the canine roaming the neighborhood streets where the family lived and walking along the side of the road. The clip then cuts to show Pudding under the care of the organization’s staff.
On social media, Care Korea also noted that the canine’s health wasn’t in the best place after his family died. After coming under the organization’s care, Pudding vomited chicken bones and onions — foods hazardous to dogs, according to The Straits Times.
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In an update shared on Thursday, Jan. 2, the organization shared more details about how Pudding came into their care, writing in a translated message that one of its workers received a report about the pup “sitting on the steps in front of the senior center, watching cars coming and going.”
The worker then received a call from one of the dog’s surviving family members who didn’t live nearby, who allowed the organization to take custody of the dog. After getting the go-ahead, Care Korea placed Pudding in a veterinary hospital in Seoul to recover, per the Straits Times.
Care Korea added that Pudding’s remaining family, navigating great grief of their own, eventually asked if the canine could be adopted out to ensure he found a new, loving home. The organization recently opened adoption applications for families interested in helping Pudding.
“There are many people who mourn the deceased family and want to help Pudding by adopting him. Care will help Pudding find a good adoption home that will love him as much as his deceased family,” the organization shared in its message.
“We deeply mourn all the victims of the plane disaster, including Pudding’s family, and offer our condolences to the bereaved families,”the animal group added.
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