What is a Jindo
SECTION
2
Do
I really want a Jindo?
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3
Other
Things to Consider
When
Getting a Dog
SECTION
4
Resources
SECTION
5
Good
and bad
characteristics
of a Jindo
SECTION
6
Adjustment
Period
SECTION
7
Health
Problems
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What is a Jindo?
The
Jindo dog is an Asian spitz breed, indigenous to an island (Jindo Island)
off the coast of South Korea. They are designated as Natural
Treasure #53 by the South Korean government and are valued for their intelligence,
courage, and loyalty. They are utilized as guard dogs, hunting dogs,
and companion animals on both the island and the Korean mainland.
Dogs are commonly found as reds and whites, but greys, black/tans, blacks,
and brindles are also present in much fewer numbers.
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The Jindo made a significant appearance in the United States during the 1980's. A few Jindos were brought to the United States by US military servicemen who met their first Jindo while assigned in South Korea. However, most imported Jindos were brought over by Koreans who had immigrated to the United States, with the highest concentration located in Los Angeles, California. In retrospect, it's known that these Jindos were often of mediocre quality and/or suspect mixed background.
Presently,
the number of Jindos have increased so that they can be found in many cities
with significant Korean populations. Sadly, due to the past
two decades of irresponsible breedings and unprepared Jindo ownership,
the number of Jindos have also increased in shelters. Initially,
these shelter Jindos were mistaken for Chow-Chow/shepherd mixes, undersized
Akitas, oversized Shibas, or husky mixes and adoptees of these dogs were
vastly unprepared to bring home an animal with the special needs of a Jindo.
Mis-identified as shepherd |
Mis-identified as chow-chow |
Mis-identified as chow-chow |
Conversely,
there have also been cases where non-Jindos were mis-identified as Jindos.
Mis-identified as Jindo |
Mis-identified as Jindo |
Sometimes these mis-identifications occured deliberately in vain hopes of the dog being adopted out on the basis of the "rare breed" status.
Neither situations are a service to the adopters, the adoptees, or the Jindo breed as a whole. One of this site's goals is to help shelters and potential adopters become better equipped in identifyiing a Jindo and what to expect from a rescue Jindo. The bare essentials are covered in this site, but for people seeking in-depth information regarding Jindos, the following sites are recommended for reading.