A photo of Kola went viral on South Korean social media showing him chained up so tightly he could barely sit down.
That's when In Defense of Animals and Jindo Love Rescue stepped in to save the pup.
The animal rescues worked together to get Kola out of South Korea and into a loving home.
Kola's owner was raising the dog for hunting but kept him chained up outside with no shelter or access to consistent food and water.
Jindo Love Rescue was eventually able to convince the owner to give Kola up to the shelter.
Azadeh Rahmani saw Kola on the shelter's website and immediately knew the pup would be a good match.
"As I looked through their photos, I felt a connection with Kola, I could see in his eyes that he wanted desperately to belong to a family," Rahmani said. "I hope his story can inspire people to consider rescuing a dog and giving one a chance to be loved and cared for because I promise you they will return the favor with everything in their being."
Kola arrived at JFK Monday morning where he got to meet Rahmani and her husband, Farzad Seihoun, for the first time.
Both animal shelters work to rescue dogs from South Korea's dog meat trade since 2017.
"We're doing everything we can to save as many dogs as we can and raise awareness about our mission," said Fleur Dawes, Communications Director for In Defense of Animals.
The animal shelters encourage anyone who can volunteer as a flight volunteer to help transport dogs to their forever homes.
Anyone interested in volunteering or making a donation to the organizations can find more information here.
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