A pair of German shepherds destined for a grim fate in one of China's meat markets have been rescued from the clutches of a "dogcatcher."
In 2009, activist lawyer Julia De Cadenet set up No to Dog Meat, a charity opposed to the cruel slaughter of all animals for food, fur and traditional medicine.
She did so after witnessing at firsthand the grim reality of China's live meat markets. In the years since, No to Dog Meat has been campaigning against Yulin, the summer festival held in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi, in which hundreds of pets are slaughtered.
Though it might be difficult for some to imagine, dog and cat meat is popular in regions like Yulin. In 2023, a Statista survey found that 73 percent of 418 Yulin region residents claimed to have eaten dog or cat meat once or several times a year.
De Cadenet and others in No to Dog Meat were back in the Yulin region just last month to protect against the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival.
It is difficult to imagine the number of dogs that likely suffered as a result of those celebrations. Two German shepherds by the name of Rebecca and Luka came scarily close to being among them. All that saved them was a chance encounter with De Cadenet and her team.
"We were leaving our shelter in Hebei, which is in the middle of the countryside, on the way to see our other Yulin rescues at the hospital, and we saw a man coming along in a small electric truck," De Cadenet told Newsweek.
![Two dogs spared from the meat markets.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/d.newsweek.com/en/full/2427276/two-dogs-spared-meat-markets.png?w=1200&f=4c9f0e1a297b22d542acd7cf45984280)
That man was what De Cadenet describes as a "dogcatcher" who regularly rounds up dogs from the streets before selling them on to the markets and slaughterhouses.
"We could see all his dog-catching equipment and the two pups in the cage at the back," De Cadenet said. Those two dogs were Rebecca and Luka.
No to Dog Meat said the man told them he was able to get around 100 Chinese Yen per dog by selling them at the markets, which equates to around $15.
This time around, they simply refused to let that happen. "We were able to block his way," De Cadenet said. "He did not want to hand them over as he was selling to one of the larger dogcatchers, but we made him."
De Cadenet said one of their team drove his van back to their base and unloaded the dogs before bringing it back. Some of his dog-catching tools were also confiscated.
De Cadenet said there wasn't much the man could do to prevent them from taking Rebecca and Luka and that he put up little in the way of resistance as he was "more of an opportunist" than anything more serious.
"The ones last year are more connected with big gangs, and they tried to be violent with us," De Cadenet said. "The more money involved, the more violent they are, and I was physically attacked in Yulin."
No to Dog Meat said Rebecca, the larger of the two dogs, had massive deep injuries and open wounds all over her body. She has also had one large tumor removed along with a few smaller ones since being rescued.
Luka, meanwhile, is faring well back at the shelter, with both dogs' recoveries continuing at the time of writing. In truth, their survival was largely down to luck. Sadly, others won't be so lucky.
Newsweek run the story last month of No to Dog Meat helping orchestrate the rescue of another pup bound for China's meat markets. In that instance, his new owner traveled over 1,000 miles to take him home.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more