Rescue Dog Tobaeki, Famous for Bandaged Paws in Türkiye, Charms Koo Ja-wook and Kim Young-woong: First-Ever Pitch Challenge on 'TV Animal Farm'

The special pitching site of Tobaeki, a retired 119 search and rescue dog and retriever, will be revealed.

On the upcoming broadcast of SBS's "TV Animal Farm" on the 13th, the delightful post-retirement daily life of Tobaeki—a veteran rescue dog who scoured 253 rescue sites over six and a half years—will be portrayed.

Tobaeki is a hero who deeply moved the entire nation with its "bandaged paw spirit," continuing search operations with a bandaged foot not only at the Gwangju apartment collapse site but also during the massive 2023 earthquake in Türkiye. After retirement, Tobaeki became a family member of Firefighter Kim Chul-hyun, its former partner in the field. Unlike its sharply disciplined past, Tobaeki has been showing a cute, twist charm as a "lax slacker dog" who falls apart in front of treats and even makes house-training mistakes.

Tobaeki has now made a special bucket list: taking on the challenge of pitching at a professional baseball game. For this ceremonial first pitch, arranged through a collaboration between "TV Animal Farm" and the Samsung Lions, player Kim Young-woong stepped up as a special daily coach, while player Koo Ja-wook also joined in to cheer enthusiastically.

Special "player" Tobaeki instantly captured the hearts of Koo Ja-wook and Kim Young-woong. Having safely completed 253 rescue missions, veteran Tobaeki entered the baseball stadium wearing a uniform with the back number 119. Anticipation is high to see whether Tobaeki can successfully complete its "254th mission," its very first ceremonial first pitch, at a packed stadium.

The second act of Tobaeki's dog life, transforming from a rescue dog into a proud pet dog, will be revealed on "TV Animal Farm" airing at 9:30 AM on Sunday the 13th.

Reporter Kang Seon-ae

(Photo courtesy of SBS E&S)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.