Dogs rescued from meat trade industry in China flown to Toronto, adopters needed

In partnership with an American non-profit, a Toronto-based rescue flew in 15 dogs saved from the meat market in China and a puppy saved from a flood, and brought them to its headquarters in Scarborough.

Last week, No Dogs Left Behind (NDLB) brought the rescued animals to its “safe house,” which opened late last year.

Due to regulations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the dogs will quarantine in Canada for six months before they can cross the border to live with their new families in the U.S. In the meantime, the rescue organization will be with the dogs previously saved from the overseas meat trade industry in need of a home.

Ontario-based No Dogs Left Behind, in partnership with Golden Bond Rescue, has flown 16 rescued dogs from the meat trade industry and flooding in China to Toronto. Photo courtesy No Dogs Left Behind.

Volunteers with NDLB go in and remove the animals from slaughterhouses and wet markets to save them from the meat trade in East Asia.

The U.S.-based charity opened up its first Canadian location in Scarborough late last year, where the animals go for medical treatment and are prepared for adoption.

NDLB founder, Jeffrey Beri, said this recent rescue trip is different compared to his previous ones because it was his group’s first time collaborating with Golden Bond Rescue, a non-profit positioned and operating in the U.S., since opening up the Scarborough location.

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Beri said because of the revised CDC regulations, American rescues are facing challenges because they have no outlet to bring the rescued dogs from overseas right away because of the six-month quarantine requirement.

“So we opened up Scarborough,” Beri said, adding, “we opened up the safe house location in our efforts, to not only assist and provide a safe house for our survivors, but to help other rescues.”

“Not only do we revolve around borders, but we believe rescues need to work together,” he said.

One rescued dog with a volunteer at the No Dogs Left Behind ‘safe house’ in Scarborough. Photo courtesy No Dogs Left Behind.

Beri said there’s around a dozen dogs at the safe house in need of a forever home, and more animals saved from the meat trade will be coming.

Since opening up the NDLB location in Scarborough, Beri said his team of volunteers have brought back “hundreds” of dogs rescued from the meat trade overseas.

“Going in and executing on emergency response, you see such atrocities,” Beri said, “then you take the time to treat them and rehabilitate them, not all of them survive.”

Seeing the surviving dogs get a second chance at life, Beri said, “it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Beri said if the community wants to help, volunteers and donations go a long way to help, such as food and toys.

“Fostering is the most critical, and adopting,” he said. “I can’t think of anything more important than fostering a home because getting them into a home is the best thing for their future.”

“We’re just extremely excited to extend our facilities in the efforts to assist other countries that have been negatively impacted by the CDC ban and also giving them the ability to stay in business. Also giving them the ability to save more lives, and that’s what we’re talking about, saving more lives.”