31 dogs rescued from the dog meat trade in China finally found forever homes. The journey that included 16 Golden Retrievers and a mix of French Bulldogs and Pugs began in April and ended on September 23rd.
A Long and Arduous Journey
The dogs travelled from China to the U.S. with a three-week pit stop in Vancouver, thanks to the animal welfare nonprofit China Rescue Dogs. China Rescue Dogs’ mission is to rescue and rehabilitate all breeds of dogs from the meat trade. They then provide them with forever homes in the U.S. and Canada.
The journey took so long due to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s one-year ban on importing dogs into the U.S. from more than 100 countries, including China. The ban went into effect in July 2021. The CDC then extended it through January 2023. However, they will allow dogs from restricted countries to enter the U.S. with the agency’s approval. According to the CDC, the ban was implemented in response to the alarming number of dogs bought from foreign countries that arrived in the U.S. with false rabies vaccination certificates the year prior.
A Team Effort
Jill Stewart, the founder of China Rescue Dogs, told PEOPLE that all of the dogs found forever homes with the help of 10 U.S. rescue associations.
“We could not have accomplished this mission without the help of David MacNeil, the CEO of WeatherTech, Nordstrom, Dog is My CoPilot, and all our supporters. Dog is My CoPilot is a nonprofit that saves dogs from high-kill shelters. The flight from Canada into the U.S. was their first international transport. This truly was a global effort with teams from China, Canada, and the United States all coming together to save these dogs from slaughter,” said Stewart.
Brandy Cherven, the vice president of China Rescue Dogs told PEOPLE, “To know these dogs now have a second chance at life and will experience love for the first time makes all the time spent on a project like this worthwhile. They were being sent to the slaughterhouse when we stepped in and saved them.”
