I realize after posting of the Los Angeles Koreatown dogmeat information that, because the info was taken from a letter I wrote to ALF, some introductory info should be stated. I worked independently and sometimes with a few groups in Los Angeles and Orange County for 9 years (from 1987 to 1996), in which time I initiated my own investigation into dogmeat restaurants in Los Angeles. After trying to involve literally EVERY animal rights group in Los Angeles and Orange County, as well as the Humane Society and Animal Regulation, I finally threw in the towel. One person, no matter how active, cannot tackle this issue alone, and although most groups I approached are aggressive in campaigning for DONATIONS, they are terrified to actually do any hands-on work. I now live in Europe (I moved there in 2006). I accidentally came across the ALF site and decided to see if they would be interested in my findings. they were. Unfortunately I have only a small amount of the notes that I took during my investigations, and most of my vast files are still in L.A. in storage. So the information that I am sharing is either from memory (always noted as such) or from the notes I still had on my computer when I left the States. Although some of this info is 9 years old, very little had changed from the time I first started to investigate these restaurants, and since the law will not shut them down, I am sure they are all still thriving.

Anyhow, this is my account of a restaurant in Garden Grove, CA (Orange County) that specializes in dog meat and boshintang (dog stew/soup):

To begin, through a series of accidents and moments of curiosity, I discovered that even though it IS illegal to sell dogmeat or kill dogs for consumption in California, there are restaurants in Garden Grove and Los Angeles that do it, and get away with it because they advertise the dish in Korean only. If you see it on their menu, it will be the only dish not translated into English. The main dish sold is boshintang, or dog soup. Also known as "health" soup. Some restaurants, such as O Gam Do in Garden Grove, also specialize in kegogi, also spelled gehgogi. I am enclosing a photo of the outside of O Gam Do, where the lettering is visible. Two different Koreans showed me how to recognize the lettering - one was Kyenun Kum, president of KAPS. O Gam Do Restaurant in Orange County, CA. It is also registered as Won San Myeun-OK Restaurant, as well as Yeoun Anh Boo Doo Restaurant. The lettering on the restaurant, as marked here, advertises "kegogi" which means "dog meat" and "Boshintang" which means "health soup/stew made with dog meat". This restaurant is protected by the police. Here are a few suspicious things about this restaurant. I drove in to their parking lot one night at 1:00 AM or so, with two female animal rescue persons from Orange County's "Animal Abuse Prevention Agency." The lot was full, as the place evidently closes at 2 AM. Because boshintang is supposedly an aphrodisiac, the fact that a "seafood" restaurant is packed at 1 am is suspicious in itself. It makes sense, however, that a place that offers aphrodisiacs, would be packed at that hour. We were in the lot for no more than 2 minutes ( I am not exaggerating) and a man came to the door of the restaurant, saw us in the car, and became extremely upset by our mere presence. He ran back inside and I decided that there may be trouble, so I backed up and when I hit the street, I immediately noticed that RIGHT NEXT DOOR was an "animal hospital." This also seemed very suspicious, as we were in the heart of OC's Koreatown! I pulled halfway into the driveway, and in the time it took to pull out a paper and BEGIN to write down the phone number from the sign outside (advertising "boarding"), two white policemen made us get out of my car, searched us, searched the car (thoroughly) and detained us for 2 HOURS trying to ascertain WHY we were there! Between the time we entered the parking lot for the restaurant and the time we pulled partially into the hospital's driveway was no more than 5 minutes tops! A curious thing that I have encountered while discovering boshintang restaurants: Almost all have a sticker displayed somewhere in the window that says, to effect, "We support the police" or something similar. In fact, a sticker on the truck of one Thai buncher read "Support your local police." Another interesting fact: Every boshintang restaurant I investigated had an "A" rating from the health department (more on the health department another time!)

I went back during the daytime, and the animal hospital looked very much like a front. There was a reception desk with a few cans of dogfood and product, and that was about all. No signs on the wall, posters advertising products, no doctor certificates, etc. A year later one of the women from AAPA and I posed as a couple and went in, asking to check out the facilities, as we were thinking of boarding. The kennels downstairs seemed legit, but it was curious that in back of the place is a lot that the dogs can run in, and a trailer that is against the wall that separates the animal hospital property from the restaurants property. Again, I cannot prove anything, but if the "hospital" were to want to give animals to the restaurant, they might be able to do so through the trailer. Here is info I obtained about the hospital:

Name: Boulevard Animal Hospital

Owner: Abdelghany, Mahmoud & Hamada

Type of Business: "Health Services"

Other business owned by Abdelghany: Walmed Export

Address: 8851 Garden Grove (same address as restaurant!)

More info on O Gam Do: Address: 8851 Garden Grove #112, Garden Grove, CA. (Orange County) Owner: Suk H Yoon, Kim Chong S, Kim Bong Sung Ph: 714-530-1925 *This info was pertinent as of 3/1/97