Q: Are you a registered non-profit?

A: Yes! We are a registered 501(c)3 in the state of California.

Our EIN is: 83-4274095

Q: Why China?

A: We started rescuing whilst all living and working (as teachers) within Harbin, China. It really was a case of helping those directly around us. We never thought of it as West vs. East. We hope we could say we would have done the same if we were in Europe, the USA, Africa etc., as we know every country has animals in need. It was a case of seeing an area of need, and being in a position to do something about it. We couldn’t sit by and watch, so we decided to step up.

Q: Is dog meat illegal in China?

A: Yes and No. Consuming dog meat is still legal in China, however the slaughtering and selling of dogs for consumption is not. Any meat sold for consumption in China (like most other countries in the world) must come with certificates that verify that they’ve been raised in a sanitary condition for the purpose of meat. Due to the fact that China does not have farms for dogs, and they are not on the ‘livestock list’, all dogs that are sold for the purpose of consumption do not have these health certificates and are therefore illegal.

Q: What is the ‘Black Market’ Meat Trade?

A: Across Asia, millions of dogs and cats are killed for meat annually. In China, to a significant degree, these meat trades are facilitated by crime, as a majority of the animals are raised and sold for consumption illegally, and are often stolen pets. This trade is well-organized and particularly cruel, with animals being wrongfully taken, transported long distances crammed into tiny wire cages and then brutally tortured and slaughtered. They’re also often sick or injured, and many die en route from dehydration, shock, suffocation...the list goes on. Those who happen to survive the journey are then likely beaten to death, hung, boiled alive and worse before being sold and served. This prevalent, barbaric (and rarely convicted) illegal activity is often referred to as the ‘Black Market’ Meat Trade.

Not to mention, most are unaware of how unhygienic the quality of meat they are ingesting is. So the trade poses a significant threat to human health too and has been linked to numerous outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies.

Q: Do you work with locals?

A: Yes! Absolutely, every single day. We could not operate without the amazing help of locals. We also strongly believe that it wouldn’t make a difference unless we were actively working with the local community. At the end of the day it’s not us telling people what they should and shouldn’t do, it’s about progress and change from within communities that make the real difference. It’s important to understand, a large portion of China does not support the cruelty of the trade. There is a rapidly growing animal protection movement in China among the locals that strongly opposes the dog meat trade as well as many outraged local activists fighting for change every day. 

There are so so so many amazing, wonderful, passionate and brave people in China. We are proud to know and work alongside them. Our vets, our transporters, our Safehouse helpers, our suppliers, the local activists, the other local rescuers, the list goes on of the fantastic animal loving community within China. There is no space for xenophobia or racism on our pages, we have a very strong rule on this. We are all in this together.

Right now we are delighted to say that we have 26 locals working at the Safehouse and we hope to keep increasing that number and offering work opportunities for more compassionate people.

Q: How do you go about rescuing dogs from the dog meat industry?

A: We typically refrain from buying dogs from the industry (but obviously if we are confronted by dogs being sold for meat, we can’t turn and walk away from them, but as a basic principal we don’t buy dogs from markets as this supports the trade).

Main ways we try to rescue our dogs (and cats):

As a secondhand rescue: Many of the local shelters and activists buy dogs from markets to save them from slaughter, they then don’t have any means of further helping the dogs past that point. Usually they will reach out to us and ask us to help them by taking on as many as we are able as they just don’t have the means to provide medical support and care for the dogs (so many are extremely sick, and the females are often pregnant) so we take them when we can.

Off Meat Trucks and from Market closures: Any meat sold for consumption in China (like most other countries in the world) must come with certificates that verify that they’ve been raised in a sanitary condition for the purpose of meat. Meat dealers / butchers / slaughterhouses cannot obtain these certificates for dogs, as of 2020 dogs were officially declared off the live-stock for consumption list. So due to the fact that China does not have farms for dogs, the dogs that are sold for the purpose of consumption cannot have these health certificates and are therefore illegal. The dogs sold into the dog meat industry are stolen pets, strays and runaways, or from breeding farms.

Taking on survivors acquired by activists in China that act as a highway patrol who have networks of people on highways that pursue dog meat trucks, and pop-up meat markets (or even long-term meat markets hidden in rural places). These activists are often putting their own lives at risk and reporting them to the Agricultural Department and Police. This isn’t always successful though to secure the release of the dogs, it relies strongly on the support of the local authorities and the pressure of the public. When it is successful, the dogs are usually placed under the responsibility of a local activist and then are all transferred to a secure location while they go through quarantine (this time is crucial to get as many volunteers on site as soon as possible as the dogs are often extremely sick, weak and dehydrated). After they pass through quarantine there are usually a large number of rescue groups all throughout China that will take responsibility for a number of the dogs (us being one of them) to make sure they get healthy, rehabilitated and into new homes.

Q: Where do “dog meat” dogs come from?

A: As there are no dog meat farms in China (a common misconception) the dogs sold into the dog meat industry are all stolen pets, ex-breeding dogs, unsold puppies, strays and runaways. A big supply of these dogs comes from puppy mills. Once the puppy is considered too old, too sick, or too ‘ugly’ for sale (generally as young as 8 weeks old), breeders will sell them off as meat to cut their losses.

If you say a 'dog meat dog' they often presume that it's going to be this special breed and it's going to be a dog that's been bred purposely for meat, but it’s every breed, all shapes and sizes. Golden retrievers, corgis, bulldogs, labradors, border collies, huskies, pugs, chihuahuas - any breeds you can think of.

Q: Who eats dog meat?

A: To answer this, we’d like to debunk the most common misconceptions…

MISCONCEPTION 1: “Dog meat is mostly eaten in rural areas.”

This is untrue. Speaking with people abroad, they tend to generalize this and assume that it’s poorer communities that eat it. The starting price for dog meat in China is the same as beef, the most expensive meat on the market. Because of this, most are unaware of how unhygienic the quality of meat they are ingesting is. The trade poses a significant threat to human health and has been linked to numerous outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies.

MISCONCEPTION 2: “The majority of dog meat is consumed at YuLin.”

Also inaccurate. YuLin, one week of the year, instead highlights what happens across the country, in every city, all year around.

MISCONCEPTION 3: “Eating dog is just the same as eating other meat.”

Untrue. While we personally don’t condone eating any meat, the preparation of dog meat is particularly cruel. There are several different ways to prepare it and in some specialty restaurants the diner has the opportunity to chose their dog and preparation technique. We won’t go into the details, but there are many videos and articles available online that talk about this torture.

MISCONCEPTION 4: “YuLin is a traditional Chinese Festival and part of the culture.”

No, it’s not. It was introduced in 2009 to stimulate the local economy.

Q: So why do people eat dog meat?

A: For many it’s a social norm as most haven’t grown up with animals. There are also NO animal protection laws. This perpetuates the lack of awareness that animals are sentient and deserve compassion etc. Most animals in China have a job (to guard/serve or be food) and are seen to have little use outside of that role.

People also aren’t aware of the quality of meat they’re ingesting, because they’re paying top dollar for it (it’s one of the most expensive meats), they don’t expect it to be riddled with disease and raised in unhygienic ways. In North-East China, there are a lot of Korean minority groups due to the proximity to the border, and their cuisine often has influenced the area. There are brutally cold winters in North-East China, and they believe it raises the body temperature. Also in Chinese medicine, they believe dog meat strengthens your Qi (your body’s energy) making you stronger and increasing your sex drive.

Q: How many dogs have you rescued so far?

A: At this stage (Summer 2024) we’ve rescued more than 4,800 dogs and cats, 6 foxes, 5 sugargliders, 7 pigs, 9 rabbits, 6 chickens, 2 ducks, a mink, a pigeon, a hedgehog, 7 hamsters, 2 snapping turtles, 2 quails, a goose, 8 goats, 2 horses and a donkey! Some have since left us, but we still have a menagerie of ever increasing species…

Q: How do you go about re-homing the dogs?

A: When we started, we didn’t use Western social media (such as Facebook and Instagram), and so we reliant on facilitating local adoptions within Harbin and the surrounding areas. However, a few years ago, we decided that until China introduces animal protection laws, we cannot risk this anymore. This is due to us not being able to safeguard them, we want to know that once a dog/cat is safe with us, that will be the last time they will ever need saving. Now, all of our dogs/cats are sent abroad for adoption.

To make this more sustainable, we’ve partnered with a few different rescues internationally, and we have built a strong support systems for our privately adopted dogs/cats. These animals have been through a lot and do take time to adjust to their new lives. So we ensure that even after a dog/cat leaves the Safehouse, they still remain under the umbrella of our care forever overseas.

All homes must go through the application and home-check processes listed on our Adoption Information page.