Sung Hoon vows to care for rescue dog Yanghee to the end, no matter how hard it gets

Actor Sung Hoon looked back on the seven years he has spent with his companion dog Yanghee and openly expressed the depth of his affection for her. His sincerity toward Yanghee, who has become family to him rather than simply a pet, turned the story from a familiar star-and-dog moment into a reflection on life, responsibility and what it means to care for another being until the end.

On June 28, a video titled "Yanghee's Seventh Birthday" was released on Sung Hoon's YouTube channel, "Sung Hoon Hae." In the video, Sung Hoon personally prepared a birthday celebration for Yanghee and revisited the years they have built together.

Sung Hoon explained, "I am going to try holding a birthday party for the first time in my life," adding that he did not know Yanghee's exact birthday. He said he chose the day he first brought her home, around June 15, as her birthday. Because Yanghee was once a rescue dog, his decision to celebrate the day she became family carried the meaning of marking the moment she was given a new life.

For the occasion, Sung Hoon reserved a restaurant and arranged a special birthday party for Yanghee. When more fans than expected came to the event, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "I thought maybe five people at most would come because it was a weekday afternoon, but I had no idea this many people would show up."

Fans prepared gifts and pet supplies for Yanghee, while Sung Hoon also handed out merchandise he had prepared himself, creating a warm atmosphere. Still, the focus of the day was not the scale of the celebration, but gratitude for a life that has stayed by his side for a long time.

As he personally prepared a birthday meal just for Yanghee, Sung Hoon joked, "Honestly, I am only doing this because it is Yanghee's birthday. If it were not, I would not have done it." Behind the humor, however, was a sense of responsibility deeper than anyone else's.

He then spoke about the years he has shared with Yanghee and revealed his own philosophy on living with a companion animal.

"It has already been about seven years since Yanghee started eating dog food. From the age of 10, I plan to give her human food little by little, too. If she has eaten dog food for 10 years, shouldn't she get to eat delicious things for the time she has left?" he said. His words were not simply about food. They read as a promise to respect his companion animal's life all the way through.

To Sung Hoon, Yanghee is not just a dog. She was a rescue dog with a painful past, and Sung Hoon became a new family for her. Their bond began in 2019 through temporary foster care and later led to adoption.

At the time, Yanghee had endured a difficult period in shelter life, suffering from distemper and a skin disease, and she was also experiencing tic symptoms as an aftereffect. Sung Hoon did not turn away from Yanghee in that condition. To give her a better environment, he even changed his own way of life. Their everyday routine, shown through the MBC variety program "I Live Alone," showed many viewers the meaning of responsibility and love toward companion animals.

Sung Hoon decided to move for Yanghee's sake and has built ordinary but precious days with her, going on walks, exercising together and taking trips. His actions conveyed the message that adoption is not the end of a process, but the beginning of a new family relationship.

After the birthday celebration, Sung Hoon eventually could not hide his emotions. In a video letter to Yanghee, he said, "We have been together for about seven and a half years now. For the time we have left, no matter how hard things get for me, I will work hard so that you do not collapse, and I will make sure I provide for you. Let us spend the next seven years well, too." As he spoke, his eyes grew red.

The scene deeply moved many people. Time spent with a companion animal is ultimately a journey that must one day face farewell, but the moment showed that what matters more is how that time is filled.

Sung Hoon also ended by thanking the fans. He said, "There were people who deliberately made time to come, and there were also people who could not come but still sent gifts. I thank you on Yanghee's behalf. I will make sure to repay all of it as I go through life."

Yanghee, who seven years ago was a sick rescue dog, has now become the family of an actor and a being loved by many people. The path Sung Hoon has shown once again makes clear that companionship is not merely a relationship of living together, but a promise to take responsibility for one life until the very end.