Imagine being taken from an amazing happy life with your home and family, tossed into a truck and shoved into a tiny cage without any food or water for days, and then being skinned alive and thrown into boiling water or on a barbeque and cooked to death. This is the horrible fate that happens every year to 20 million dogs in the Dog Meat Trade. Some of these dogs are pets while others are just unwanted or strays and sold to the butchers.
China, Korea, and Vietnam are the main offenders in the Dog Meat Trade but there are charities working tirelessly, trying to help save the dogs from this cruel fate. One such organisation is Rushton Dog Rescue, based in Somerset in the UK.
A local family in Bromley, decided to save a dog from the Dog Meat Trade and reached out to Rushton Dog Rescue about the process. “Rescuing from a different country is very nerve racking,” said Samantha Glass, who rescued their dog through Rushton and then went on to say that “the process Rushton Dog rescue used was well thought out and very reassuring.” Rushton rescue the dogs from China and keep them for a month, allowing the dogs to decompress and ease into their new safe environment. For the month that the dogs are with Rushton, they get to know each dog and can confirm that the dog will be suitable for the family.
Samantha had previously lost a small dog of old age and was made aware of the Dog Meat Trade through social media and when she saw what was going on, she was horrified and wanted to help these poor creatures. Rushton recommended a little adorable toy poodle mix that they were flying over from China in January. Samantha was excited to bring this tiny bundle of fluff into her family, because the dog was little, they decided to call her Didi.
Samantha would always recommend rescuing from The Dog Meat Trade and said that “it was one of the most rewarding feelings knowing you changed the world for that little dog.” To show how far Didi has come, Samantha created an Instagram account @didi_im.a.meat.trade.survivor which documents the highlights of Didi’s life and spreads the word about The Dog Meat Trade.
Wanting to do more, Samantha used her company, Double Down Blankets, to design and donate Rushton their very own custom cosy blankets for fundraising. Samantha and her family absolutely love Didi who has settled in with their other pets without any problems.
Samantha said that “you can’t change the world and stop the Dog Meat Trade, but you can change the world for one dog, and I changed the world for Didi”
Rescuing the dogs is harder than ever and these charities need our support. Didi was one of the last to escape before the pandemic spread which is making it difficult to get the dogs out. Let’s share Didi’s story and help make this dream possible for other dogs.
