Eighty-Eight Dogs Rescued From Chinese Dog Meat Trade; Canines To Be Given To Families In New York

Eighty-eight Chinese puppies have been rescued from a dog meat trade.

Canine rescue organization, No Dogs Left Behind just saved the lives of 88 dogs who were a part of the Chinese meat trade in Beijing. Now the pups are on their way to meet their new families in New York. “This by far is the largest transport that we have done,” Jeff Beri, the organization’s founder, told the New York Post. Nearly 140 more dogs will be transported to the States in early 2021. 

“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.” One of the pooches has found a home in Tiziana Haug, a 42-year-old mom of two from Park Slope. She said she named her poodle Scooby on Friday. “It just feels good that we were able to save a life,” said Haug, a creative director.

“Especially for my daughter, this has been something she’s been looking forward to since May when we decided to adopt the dog. It’s been a daily topic for her, ‘when is Scooby coming? Can he come soon?’ The anticipation is big.”

Beri and his team of animal activists have been saving animals since 2017. Some of the thousands of animals that have been rescued came from traffickers, wet markets, slaughterhouses, and more. When the group receives information about a planned transport of dogs, the group outlines its mission to save the animals. The group works together to track down animals. Beri says, “cutthroat, frontline activists” will trail tricks, use drones to locate vehicles, and when they catch up to them, they block their paths, the New York Post reports.

Beri says when the dog meat suspects are confronted, the group demands the animals’ release or else they will contact the police. “The fines exceed the cost of the meat, which is why they turn it over,” said Beri. On top of cracking down on the dog meat trade in the States, Beri is also lobbying Chinese government officials to create animal welfare laws that would ban the dog meat trade completely. “Anyone can go out and blow torch their dog. Anyone can go out and beat their dog, and that’s got to change, no country should allow that to happen,” Beri said. He added, “No Dogs Left Behind believes no country has the right to slaughter animals recklessly and any country that does, it is time for sanctions and boycotting in any way possible because the next pandemic is coming,”