When you work in the rescue community, you tend to grow a little used to horror stories and human cruelty toward animals. Sometimes you shake your head at how human minds work and often you feel disgust at the heartlessness of people. Sometimes it has to do with neglectful owners or the Amish and their puppy mills.
But there’s a special place in hell for the people in the China Meat Trade.
I’ll be honest, I was pretty ignorant about it until recently. I’ve been so focused on the American puppy mills and pet stores and people who insisted on shopping over adopting. Or those who would leave their dogs out in cold weather or discard a senior because he or she was “too old.” Suddenly, however, the “China Pugs” started getting my attention and I needed to know the backstory. What I discovered was horrifying. I almost wish I still had my head in the sand.
The meat trade in Asia is huge. According to animalasia.org the estimation is, in China alone, 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are slaughtered for the dog meat trade each year. And no, they’re not even slightly nice about it. 
Acording to the Animals Asia website:
The dog meat industry has long claimed that it farms dogs for their meat, boasting more than 100 registered ‘dog meat farms’.
But in 2015, a four-year undercover investigation by Animals Asia into the Chinese dog meat trade exposed these claims as false. None of its registered ‘farms’ had more than 30 dogs on-site and such small scale operations cannot possibly meet such a demand.
Some dog meat farms had even been registered under multiple names to manipulate figures, and cover-up the widespread dog and cat thefts which sustains this dirty industry.
Where do these extra dogs come from of the numbers discovered don’t match the claims?
Dog and cats of all varieties, often family pets, are snatched from their families. Still wearing their collars, they are forced in to very small cages and transported great distances without food or water. When they reach their final destination at dog meat markets, they are forced to witness other dogs being bludgeoned to death or tossed still alive into vats of boiling water to remove their skins.
Read. That. Again.
Dogs. Cats. People’s pets. Every breed. For their meat. They are largely pets stolen and tortured to death. For money. The depth of inhumanity is unimaginable.
Why am I making you read this horror? Because right now there are hundreds of dogs coming over from China. Because right now there are 103 Pugs and 28 French Bulldogs waiting to be rescued from this horrible fate. Pugs. Frenchies. Those sweet, squishy faced little clowns we love so much. The cost to transport them is enormous. Over $1000 per dog just to get to get them here. It’s an impossible job for one person or rescue. It’s just not feasible for a single organization to fund and coordinate so massive an undertaking. Therefore, multiple people and rescues are mobilizing to help. They need your help as well. They need donations like never before. Once here, each dog needs to be medically checked and issues addressed. You know they’re going to need medical care. They’ll also need to be fostered and then adopted out. The cost is unfathomable. With this in mind, Pug Squad is partnering with many rescues to help raise funds and spread awareness.
Rescues we are working with personally are:
Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles
PugHearts Houston Pug Rescue
Pug Rescue of New England (PRoNE)
Green Mountain Pug Rescue
Buffalo Pug and Small Breed Rescue
Cinderella’s Pug Rescue
We have set up a simple website to make it easy for you to get your donation to the right place. It really doesn’t matter who you send your donation to, as long as it’s truly going to a rescue who will help. As long as these dogs are saved, choose whoever you wish. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a rescue or an individual, you can reach out to any of us at Pug Squad. Please donate what you can or simply spread the word. Be one of the hundreds of heroes who are working to save these angels from a horrific fate.
Please follow us on social media to stay up to date on this massive rescue effort. Thank you so much for your help.
