Millions of cats and dogs are killed every year to supply the meat industry in Asia, despite the efforts of charitable organizations to rescue as many animals as possible and find them a happy home as pets.
One dog who was lucky enough to be rescued is Bonnie, who is now thriving with a foster family in the U.K. In a video posted to the TikTok account @thebig3rescue, Bonnie, a golden retriever, can be seen shaking in her crate.
"One month ago meat-trade survivor Bonnie arrived in the UK too afraid to get out of her flight crate," reads the caption. "And this is her today after one month of love from her amazing foster."
The video ends with Bonnie happily playing with toys in a backyard.
"Bonnie was absolutely terrified when she first touched down in the U.K.," Natalie Linowes, founder of The Big 3 Rescue, told Newsweek. "But after being in foster care where she has been shown nothing but patience, love, and kindness, she has rebuilt her confidence with people. While being fostered, it became clear that Bonnie loved the company of other dogs, and they helped her feel more confident, so we wanted to find her a home with another friendly dog."
Their endeavours were a success, and Newsweek can happily report that Bonnie has now been adopted by a family with another golden retriever and a bunny rabbit, "who she is incredibly happy with," said The Big 3 Rescue.
The dog meat trade predominantly exists in China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and in most countries "dogs are stolen pets, or grabbed from the streets. In South Korea, dogs are farmed in appalling conditions,"the Humane Society International says. It estimates that approximately 30 million dogs are killed annually in Asia for human consumption.
The Big 3 Rescue was founded in Florida, with volunteers in the U.S. and the U.K., and its focus is on rescuing dogs from the meat trade and finding them loving homes.
"Unfortunately, we never know much about the background of many of our dogs," said Linowes. "We generally rescue them from slaughterhouses or take on dogs from wonderful Chinese locals who have actually rescued the dogs from the meat trade.
"Our vets in Beijing, China, assess them health wise, and we begin to get a sense of their age and overall health. Our dogs are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and receive medical care prior to travel."
Linowes revealed that Bonnie was part of their biggest rescue mission yet at the start of 2023. "We took on 20 dogs that were set to be slaughtered. We don't know how Bonnie ended up in that situation, but we know she has been treated terribly by humans. She was terrified of everyone except other dogs."
The Big 3 Rescue relies heavily on local people throughout Asia to be on the ground and physically rescue dogs from the meat trade.
"We work with wonderful Chinese locals who are physically out there saving the dogs," said Linowes. "We are so incredibly grateful for these brave people, our work wouldn't be possible without them. Of course, it would be wonderful if we lived in a world where no animals were used and exploited by humans for meat, but whilst they are we will continue to rescue them and find them the loving homes they deserve."
The video has been viewed over 105,000 times on TikTok.
"Can't imagine what she's been through, the image of her now is so heart melting, have a good life girl you deserve it," said one user.
"Thank you so much for helping her to get back to the dog she is supposed to be," commented another user.
"Seeing this just makes me so happy. Thank you for saving another precious dog," wrote a third.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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