| Jeju Dog | |
|---|---|
| Origin | South Korea |
| Dog (domestic dog) | |
| Jeju dog | |
| Hangul | 제주개 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 濟州犬 |
| Revised Romanization | Jeju gae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Cheju kae |
The Jeju Dog (Korean: 제주개) is a breed of dog that was brought back from the edge of extinction in 1986, when only three of them were found on the entire island of Jeju in South Korea. Since then, an aggressive campaign of breeding has yielded a current population of close to 300. However, the 'pure bred' Jeju Dog population is only estimated to be at about 69 as of September 2010.
In 2010, Korea designated the Jeju Dog as a national heritage animal, which will allow for subsequent national protection. Before this, not enough animals remained to allow for such a distinction.
Protection initiatives include a 2017 auction held by the Jeju Livestock Institute for those interested in adopting one of the 20 puppies. According to the institute, the goal was to continue to breed and preserve the Jeju Dog after being criticized for selling the puppies.[1]