The dogs are raised for human consumption, making them larger in size. Because there isn’t a market in South Korea for large dogs as pets, Gray said they are transferred to the U.S.

According to Humane Society International’s website, dogs bred at these farms often suffer from disease and malnutrition and are subjected to “daily neglect or even deliberate cruelty.”

The dogs headed for Richmond were rescued from a meat farm in Jeonju, South Korea, and were sheltered, vaccinated and quarantined in Daegu and Isla before being flown to San Francisco and, eventually, Dulles, according to the Richmond SPCA.

Abbey Howarth, a spokeswoman for the Richmond SPCA, said she was told by Humane Society representatives that Korean officials found the dog meat farm to be operating illegally and ordered it to close after the officials were tipped off by neighbors.

Starr said the group of dogs consists of nine males and five females, including a mother and her litter. It’s unlikely the dogs, most of whom are a year or two old, are “any breed that we would recognize,” she said.

The dogs’ first few days in the country will entail veterinary and behavioral checks. There was also talk of naming the dogs, perhaps after South Korean cities or Korean pop stars.