An American charity has saved 34 pups from the Chinese dog-meat trade and flown them all to new lives in the United States. No Dogs Left Behind says all the dogs will now be found loving homes where they can spend the rest of their lives.
The group has been operating since 2016 and focuses in particular on removing dogs from the Chinese dog-meat industry. While less common in China these days, the eating of dogs still exists within the country and this in turn has led to the breeding of dogs specifically for the purpose of turning them into food.
Jeff Beri, who founded the non-profit organisation, said of the rescue:
"This by far is the largest transport that we have done. These dogs… are my heroes, the adopters are my heroes who've waited for their dogs for almost a year now and every dog that walks the streets is an ambassador for the cruelty-free movement that we're fighting for. Dead, on the plate, skinned alive, boiled alive, blowtorched, beaten to death. Doesn't matter whether it's a poodle, whether or not it's a German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever, a mutt, doesn't matter if it's a Chinese dog, they don't care."
"No Dogs Left Behind believes no country has the right to recklessly slaughter animals and any country that does, it is time for sanctions and boycotting in any way possible because the next pandemic is coming. Global animal welfare laws are in order, and until that happens, we will continue to fight. We will sanction and we will boycott until change happens."
A further 45 dogs saved by the organisation are believed to be arriving in the United States shortly and over 100 more are going to be arriving in the early months of next year.
11-year-old Auxence Goullier, whose family have adopted a poodle, said:
"I'm going to love her with all my heart."
Animal welfare and food practices have become a hot topic in China following the CoVid-19 pandemic. It is believed that exotic animals within a wet-market in Wuhan are the likely source of the original outbreak with pangolins and bats being the prime suspects. Chinese authorities say that they have now cracked down on the animal trade within the country though many observers remain dubious as to the sincerity of that claim.
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