"Raising Awareness for Pet Dog Blood Donation"…Hyundai Motor's I'm Dogner Campaign

Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 25th that it will launch the '2023 I’M DOgNOR' campaign to create a stable culture of blood donation for companion dogs.

Currently, over 90% of blood for companion dog transfusions in Korea is supplied by blood donor dogs raised in poor conditions. Hyundai Motor started the 'I’M DOgNOR' social contribution campaign in 2019, believing that improvements are needed in the companion dog blood supply system.

This year, Hyundai Motor signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Busan Keunmaeum Animal Medical Center and Daejeon Time Animal Medical Center to promote the culture of blood donation for companion dogs. Through this, they plan to expand the blood donor dog data management system for companion dog blood supply.

Guardians in the Busan and Daejeon areas who wish to register their dogs in the blood donor database can fill out an application form. Blood donation for companion dogs is only available for large dogs that meet the participation criteria (2-8 years old, weighing over 25kg). They must receive a suitability assessment through a health checkup.

Applications for the Busan area will be accepted from the 9th to the 13th of next month, and for the Daejeon area from the 16th to the 27th of next month. Hyundai Motor plans to support free health checkups through Keunmaeum Animal Medical Center and Time Animal Medical Center for the first 100 dogs on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additionally, Hyundai Motor will hold the 'Daegyeonhan Picnic' event for guardians of large dogs in the Busan and Daejeon areas. Various programs that can be enjoyed with companion dogs will be held, including ▲large dog-specialized agility ▲Petshionista contest ▲treasure hunt walks along trails. The Daegyeonhan Picnic will be held on October 21 at 'Jangan Sup Muro' in Busan and on November 4 at 'Cafe Daeng' in Daejeon, respectively.

A scene from the animation featuring I'm Dogner mascot 'Deokgu'
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

Furthermore, Hyundai Motor will release a total of three animations featuring the story of 'Deokgu,' the mascot of the I’M DOgNOR campaign, in October. Deokgu is a character inspired by 'Seorak,' a blood donor dog rescued from a slaughterhouse in Cheonan. Hyundai Motor will donate 10 won for each view of the animation to support pre-health checkup costs for prospective blood donor dogs.

A Hyundai Motor official said, "We hope that the 'I’M DOgNOR' campaign, which was mainly operated in the metropolitan area, will spread nationwide through the MOUs with hospitals in Busan and Daejeon," adding, "We will continue to strive to contribute to the establishment of a healthy culture of blood donation for companion dogs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.