Nureongi
Encyclopedia
The Nureongi also spelled Noo-rung-yee is a yellowish dog landrace
from Korea
. It is most often used as a livestock dog, raised for its meat and not commonly kept as a pet.
The Korean culture and language distinguishes between these dogs and pet dogs. Chinese pet dogs such as Pekingese
and beloved Korean hunting dogs such as the Jindo
are spoken of using words of Chinese origin, "견" and "犬", whereas Free-ranging urban dog
s, wolves, and meat dogs are thought of as mere "구" or 狗". Only the latter has been used for foodstocks.
"Hwangu"(yellow dog) has been considered better for food than "baekgu" (white dog) and "heukgu" (black dog)..
In 2008, the Korean government discussed a proposal to legalize the meat dog trade by formally recognizing these dogs as "livestock". The proposal was not adopted.
-types with short yellow hair and melanistic mask
s.
In a paper arguing in favor of dog meat consumption in South Korea
, Dr. Ahn Yong Geun, (Ph.D. biology, Osaka City University, Japan, current Professor in Food and Nutrition in Cheung Chong University) in South Korea, asserts the existence of a "unique" Korean livestock dog "specifically bred and raised as food", which he does not name or describe, which is not the same as the pet dogs Koreans keep and love and treat as family members. He cites evidence from Statistics Korea giving his reader some idea of how many such dogs there are. As of 1998, there were 2,246,357 dogs in Korea, but only 882,482 households with pet dogs, and as most Korean pet owners don't have more than one dog, we can conclude that the "unique" Korean livestock dog must have outnumbered all other kinds of dogs that lived in Korea in that year.
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. It is most often used as a livestock dog, raised for its meat and not commonly kept as a pet.
Terminology
This dog has no formal name. "Nureongi" (누렁이) and "hwangu" (황구; 黃狗) are informal Korean words meaning "yellow one", and might best translate as "Brownie" or "Blackie", if those referred to a yellow animal, somewhat as the word "Yeller" has been used as a name for any yellow animal in English. . Another common term is the Korean slang "ddong-gae" (똥개), meaning "dung dogs" or "shit dog", which refers to the common dogs' habit of eating feces. The dogs are generally considered by Koreans to be "mutts", "mongrels", or "curs" and are not normally allowed into the home.The Korean culture and language distinguishes between these dogs and pet dogs. Chinese pet dogs such as Pekingese
Pekingese
The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...
and beloved Korean hunting dogs such as the Jindo
Jindo
Jindo may refer to:* Jindo Island, a South Korean island* Jindo County, a South Korean county, consisting largely of Jindo Island* Korea Jindo Dog, a breed of dog indigenous to Jindo Island...
are spoken of using words of Chinese origin, "견" and "犬", whereas Free-ranging urban dog
Free-ranging urban dog
Free-ranging urban dog refers to populations of stray dogs on the streets of urban areas, especially the cities of India, the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and Latin America .-Stray dogs:...
s, wolves, and meat dogs are thought of as mere "구" or 狗". Only the latter has been used for foodstocks.
"Hwangu"(yellow dog) has been considered better for food than "baekgu" (white dog) and "heukgu" (black dog)..
In 2008, the Korean government discussed a proposal to legalize the meat dog trade by formally recognizing these dogs as "livestock". The proposal was not adopted.
Description and Population Size
In a study about dog and cat meat consumption in South Korea, Anthony Podberscek of Cambridge University's Department of Veterinary Medicine notes that, while other kinds of dogs are also farmed and eaten, nureongi (yellow dog) is most common dog used in this way. He describes them as "mid-sized, short haired, and yellow furred," notes that they "are not normally kept as pets," and includes a photograph in which the specific dogs he refers to as “nureongi”, which he also calls "meat dogs," can be seen in the background, caged in an open-air meat market in South Korea. The dogs are quite uniform in appearance, medium-sized spitzSpitz
Spitz-type dogs are a type of dog, characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles...
-types with short yellow hair and melanistic mask
Melanistic mask
A melanistic mask is a dog coat pattern that gives the appearance of a mask on the dog's face. The hairs on the muzzle, and sometimes entire face or ears, are colored by eumelanin instead of pheomelanin pigment. Eumelanin is typically black, but may instead be brown, dark gray, or light gray-brown...
s.
In a paper arguing in favor of dog meat consumption in South Korea
Dog meat consumption in South Korea
The consumption of dog meat, called Gaegogi in Korean, has had a long history in South Korea as well as other Eastern Asian cultures, but it has been controversial both inside and outside of the country due to animal rights and sanitary concerns....
, Dr. Ahn Yong Geun, (Ph.D. biology, Osaka City University, Japan, current Professor in Food and Nutrition in Cheung Chong University) in South Korea, asserts the existence of a "unique" Korean livestock dog "specifically bred and raised as food", which he does not name or describe, which is not the same as the pet dogs Koreans keep and love and treat as family members. He cites evidence from Statistics Korea giving his reader some idea of how many such dogs there are. As of 1998, there were 2,246,357 dogs in Korea, but only 882,482 households with pet dogs, and as most Korean pet owners don't have more than one dog, we can conclude that the "unique" Korean livestock dog must have outnumbered all other kinds of dogs that lived in Korea in that year.